The Rabbit Hole
by Chaos2Frozen
Summary: Base on the Fatal Frame 2 story, Touma and Index are trapped in a haunted village forced to relive the final night of it's demise, can they pull together and escape from this nightmare? Chap 10 updated, the final confrontation with the Kiryu Twins!
1. THE FIRST HOUR: Welcome to Nightmare

**Synopsis:**

_Trapped in a cursed village forced to relive a night of unspeakable horror, can Touma and Index solve the mystery to escape, or will they become it's next victims? Elsewhere, the insane laughter of a woman echoed throughout the darkness..._

* * *

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

_**{Didn't we promise...}**_

_**{That we will always be together...}**_

_**{No matter what...}**_

_**{So why...}**_

_**{Why must we kill...?}**_

_******~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**_

* * *

**THE FIRST HOUR: Welcome to Nightmare  
============================**

"Index! OiiI! Index! Where are you?"

_That darn sister… _

Kamijo Touma, age seventeen, finds himself alone in a dark mysterious and downright creepy forest. What started out as a simple road trip with Index from the beach back to academy city ended with a broken down vehicle in the middle of nowhere with no food and no reception on his cell phone. To top it all off, sunlight is fading quickly.

Truly, his bad luck knows no boundaries.

And to make matters worse... That darn sister with no sense of the situation at hand just ran off into the forest leaving Touma behind with no other choice than to follow her path into said dark mysterious and downright creepy forest.

Not that he was afraid off anything.

"After all, there's no such thing as-"

_That's what you said about magic…_ Whispered the voice at the back of his head.

"…_Fukoda_" He sighed.

Up ahead, Touma saw an opening that leads to a path going through the forest. Positive that Index would have gone that way, he exited the forest and followed the path ahead of him. Looking up into the sky, Touma saw that the sun had completely vanished under a veil of darkness. Even if he did find Index, they would now need to look for a place to pass the night.

Trying to find their way back to the bus through this darkness is just crazy.

"Index! Oi Index!"

Eventually, the boy reached the end of the path. A bright glow appear over a hill was just a stone's throw away from where he was standing.

"Index!"

"Huh? Oh, it's you Touma..."

As usual, this sister has no sense of the world around her. It took a lot of effort, but Touma was able to convince her to wear something else than her usual habit. A thin yellow ribbon was used to tie her hair into a ponytail. A white blouse with the skirt length reaching her thighs, thick dark warm stockings covers her legs with a pair of plain brown shoes. Touma himself was wearing something outside of his usual wardrobe. A hooded navy blue windbreaker covers his average clean shirt, with the letters 'I' and 'B' in white on the front, a light brown set of cargo pants, and a pair of sneakers.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

Index blinked.

"I'm sorry Touma, it's just that..."

There in the center of the hill laid a large stone table, surrounding the sides are three very large boulders, each constricted by sacred ropes, like the ones they used in a shrine. There was also a stone statue; upon closer observation it looks like twin idols were carved into its face. The surroundings area were being illuminated by torches and a small camp fire. To the untrained eyes of Kamijou Touma, it seemed like this hill was used as some sort of ritual ground.

"This place... '_Misono Hill_'**..."**

"How did you know the name of-?"

Index point to the sign behind him that says 'Misono Hill' in Japanese.

"I guess it's supposed to be for a ritual spell... But there's something odd about it..."

Touma, a man of science, couldn't care less about it and so decides to focus on the more important things.

"Well, the fire's lit, that means someone was here very recently..."

Looking over the hills, they could see a village just at the other foot of the hill, there was a dim glow surrounding the entire place, which means there must be people there to light those torches as well. In another situation, this view would have made a great photo, but Touma isn't here for sightseeing.

"We should head for that village, see if there's anyone there that can help us..."

Touma started walking down the slop.

"Oi! Index! Are you coming?"

Giving the stones one last look, Index shook her head and ran after Touma.

"Nei Touma! Ask them if they have any food to eat as well!"

"YOU STILL HAVEN'T EATEN ENOUGH?-!"

* * *

They turned right and followed the path towards the village. The route was flanked by dark trees on both sides, creating a sense of uneasiness. It didn't take long for Index to notice something.

"Wait Touma, what's that?"

There in the middle of their path lies a simple black hand bag.

The duo stopped to pick it up. Touma opened the bag and found nothing except two old newspaper cuttings. The yellow colour alone was testament to its age. Attached to them was an old picture of a young man and woman standing side by side.

"What does it say?" asked Index.

The headlines on one of them says "Land Surveyor Missing", Touma read it out loud.

"..._With the start of construction for the Minakami Dam approaches. Masumi Makimura (26), a geological surveyor dispatched to the area, has gone missing. Mr Makimura went to the area to investigate the site that would be submerged once the dam was built, but hasn't been heard from for five days_."

There is another smaller clipping in the bag, it looks like a continuation from the first article, but this one is titled "Search for Surveyor called off".

"...The search for Masumi Makimura (26), the surveyor missing since the fourth of this month, came to a close yesterday. Mr. Makimura had been helping to conduct a geological survey for the Minakami Dam. As of yesterday, he has been missing for ten days."

_A rather grim piece of finding_, thought Touma.

"I wonder who it belongs to... And that picture... Is that Makimura?" Index pondered.

"Probably, that woman might be his girlfriend."

"Do you think this belongs to her?"

"It's hard to say, lets just get to the village first."

Putting the newspapers back in the bag, Touma passed it to Index to carry before continuing down the path. More trees blocked any alternate routes from the main road, and the moon in the sky was their only source of light, that is until they reached a clearing where they could see the village in front of them.

"Now what do we do Touma?"

"That first house is the only one we can see that has a lamp on, so I'm guessing we'll start from there."

The boy proceed towards the door.

The sign beside it was labeled, [**Osaka House**].

* * *

"Hello? Anyone? We're coming in...!"

The door wasn't locked; when nobody responded for the third time, Touma decides to open and walk in.

"Oh damn..."

"Touma, I don't think anybody's in here."

It was a mess. The furniture was all over the place, the smell of dust filled the air, the wood supporting the stairs is practically rotting, and in the middle of the room sat a sunken fireplace.

"Hey Touma, you know... You really suck at guessing."

"I don't want to hear that from the person who got us into this mess in the first place!"

They walked to middle of the room, where the fireplace was. There amidst the broken wood was a notebook. A brief look inside reveals only a single page is any readable.

"Looks like it belongs to a woman, 'Miyako Sudo'"

"Wait a minute Touma, that's the name of that woman in the picture!" exclaimed Index.

She pulled out the newspaper clipping and pointed to the name.

"But what is she doing here? Oh wait, she must have been looking for the Surveyor!" Touma concluded.

The silver-haired nun lean over to read the notebook.

"_...I've heard rumors about this lost village before. Long ago, a massacre occurred on the day of a ceremony, and the village was wiped from the map. Twin Deities Statues in the forest lead lost people to the village entrance. Once you passed the gate however, you cannot go back..."_

"Wait, what lost village... **THIS** lost village? This is a lost village?"

"...Probably."

"And not only is it some lost village, but it has to have a massacre too?"

Index nodded.

"And on top of everything, we supposedly can't leave the place?"

"Touma wait, there's more..."

Index continued.

"_...The village eternally relives that night of death. The insane laughter of a woman is said to echo throughout the village. The only survivor of the massacre at the village was a lone woman."_

At the end of her sentence, the room became unnervingly cold.

"...WHAT THE HELL IS WITH THIS HORROE MOVIE SETTING?-!"

Index calmly placed the notebook into the handbag.

"The belief in ghosts and spirits is something that humans, not only magicians, had embraced since the very beginning of recorded history. In almost every single culture in the world, there exist many different folklore about the afterlife..."

Index enters her history-magic lecturing mode.

"Belief in ghosts in European folklore is characterized by the recurring fear of '_returning_' or revenant deceased which may harm the living. This includes the Scandinavian _Gjenganger_, the Romanian _Strigoi_, Serbian _Vampir_, the Greek V_rykolakas_, and so on. English folklore is particularly notable for its numerous haunted locations."

Touma took a look at his surroundings; as much as he finds it quite absurd he took in every word she said nonetheless. Not too long ago he would probably just dismiss one of these superstitious lessons from the silver-haired Nun, but after many incidents with the magic world he quickly learn that the difference between life and death might just be one hint away.

"Popular folklore has always been dismissed as superstition by the educated elite, but belief in the soul and an afterlife remained near universal until the emergence of atheism in the 18th century "Age of Enlightenment". In the 19th century, spiritism resurrected "belief in ghosts" as the object of systematic inquiry, and popular opinion in western culture remains divided."

The high school student sighed.

"Index, you know I don't believe in those kinds of things." Said Touma firmly. "In the science world, the appears of ghosts and other things is nothing but a hallucination. It is the result of the brain being confused by chemical drugs, electromagnetic waves, hypnosis, or any other form of hallucinogen... That is what causes us to see things that aren't really there."

Index smirked as she shook her head.

"As expected of Touma... _Mah~_ It doesn't matter, with that right hand of yours, no ghost would ever be a match for you."

Imagine Breaker.

The power to destroy any supernatural effects or entity.

"That's true, if there's anything that would constitute as supernatural, that would be it."

Given the condition of the house, it's not like they can stay here for the night.

_But still..._

"We should still search the house; The lamp outside was lit, that means someone might still be in here." Touma changed the subject.

"Agreed, though unlikely, the owner of this bag and notebook might still be here... And even if she's not..."

"Even if she's not...?" Touma raised an eye brow.

"...WE STILL NEED TO LOOK FOR FOOD! MY STOMACH IS HUNGRY!"

"THAT IS YOUR TRUE PURPOSE?-!"

* * *

They decided to take a left turn and enter into the first room they saw and was greeted by a haunting sight. Several dozen Kimonos hanging from rotting bamboo poles and stands littering the entire room. The air was thick with dust and the lighting was horrible, and the Kimonos wasn't doing anything to help by blocking their view. As the two of them make a quick walk around the Kimono room, Index spotted a back room of sort in one of the corners.

When they investigated it, Touma couldn't see anything inside as the room was just too dark.

"Touma, Touma! There's something on the table!"

Index grabbed what she saw and they left the room to get a better lighting.

Only then did they realize what it was; Another scrap of paper.

"Wait, let me see that..."

Touma took the papers.

"Index... I think these are from that notebook! Quick, check the handwriting!"

The Nun finished out the item from the handbag and flipped to the worn out pages.

"I was right, this belongs to that Miyako Sudo woman ... And look,"

The torn edges of the scraps fit into the next segment of the book.

"It's something about a 'presence' outside the house... Oh great, more of that stuff..." Touma groaned.

* * *

**_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_**_**.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**_

_Sometimes I sense someone passing by the window. _

_He carries a torch, and mutter things. _

_He seems to be searching for somebody._

_But it is not Masumi._

_In the distance, I can hear some kind of sad ceremonial song being sung._

_They say that this village vanished on the day of a ceremony... _

_And that day is repeated over and over again._

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

* * *

"...Come on, let's search the other rooms... Maybe we'll find more of her notes."

Back in the sunken fireplace room this time they walk straight down a hallway with several blinds hanging from the ceiling, soon they reached a junction. The path splits into three way.

Touma suggests that they split up.

"TOUMA! You're breaking up with me?"

Index gasped with horror.

"...I meant, we should go separate ways."

The high schooler quickly rethink that phrase and added.

"...As in I'll go straight, and you take the one on the left."

"I KNEW IT! Touma just wants to be alone with a girl when he finds her!"

Touma facepalmed.

"Then you go straight, and I'll take the one on the right!"

After 5 minutes of arguing, Touma took the path straight ahead while Index went in the right side.

"...Damnit, when did she learn words like that...?"

Touma turned at the corner and head through the door at the end, which leads to the back of the house. The room is relatively empty, save for a dirty brazier in the center as well as...

"More notes." Touma sigh as he picked them up to read.

The contents were Miyako's longing for her boyfriend, the Surveyor from the news article.

* * *

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

_Masumi... It's me, Miyako._

_I came to look for you._

_Let's go home together._

_Together, we can make it._

_Call for me if you find this._

_I'll be nearby._

_Miss You!_

_**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**_

* * *

Touma kept the notes and took one last look at the room before leaving.

"Touma that bastard..." Index mumbled bitterly.

There was nothing worth noting to find here, just a candle in the corner, something that every other room already has. Nevertheless, her instincts told her to take a closer look, upon further inspection, she found a small trigger mechanism against the wall facing the candle stick. A simple tap on the wall revealed it to be hollow.

_A secret room?_ Index press against the hidden door. It didn't take much effort for it to give way to a passage into another room.

Index walked in cautiously.

The first thing she saw was a very large and obvious Altar at the opposite end of the room, everything else about the place is no different from the previous gloomy, dark, and creepy ones.

"This is...?" Index picked up another scrap paper which caught her eye on the large wooden table. Most of the writings are impossible to make out, but what she can tell is that it's about noises coming from an altar.

"_Sometimes I hear an eerie song-like sound coming from the family altar. It sounds like it's coming from deep below. Maybe it's just the wind? Or maybe there really is something behind that wall..." _Index read the words out loud. "Another of Miyako's writings... Better keep it first."

Just both she was about to leave the room, she spots an old camera lying untouched on the dusty floor.

Almost instinctively, her brain has already kicked into overdrive and a surge of information overwhelms her senses as it searching through the 103 000 grimoires that resided in her memories. Putting together a complete analysis of the subject within a fraction of a second, everything there was to know was made known to her.

"Origins – Oriental, likely Japanese 19th century. Basic principle - Shintoism complimented with Buddhist teachings. Applied nature detected, ritual inscription within appears to be complete. Mode of trigger manual, no linguistic system found. No external compliment required. Limitations – Restrict to similar foundation. Purpose –"

Index picked up the camera.

"-forced dispersal of dominion spell, commonly known as 'Exorcism'."

_**The floor creaked.**_

"!"

_**Slowly but surely, the sound of footsteps could be heard just on the other side of the wall, in the room that she was just in.**_

"T-Touma?" Index trembled.

No reply.

_**A low grunt, heavy breathing, and inaudible mumbles. **_

The temperature of the room drastically drops, Index could see her breath forming as she tried to steady her racing heart.

"Is someone here...?"

_**Suddenly, the creaking stopped just outside the door, for the next few seconds nothing happened. No walking, no mumbling, no sound.**_

Her instincts screamed at her not to open the door, but there was no other way out of the room. Praying that whatever was outside has somehow just left, Index mustered what little courage she had left to approach the door.

"_Please be nothing... Please be nothing..."_

She placed her small, shaking hands on the wooden sliding door, and pushed-

_**Cold, empty eyes stared back.**_

Index grasped as she stumbled back in horror, not able to even scream. Standing there behind the half opened door was a woman... A woman with pale green, unearthly skin, long dark hair flows unevenly down her face, and a pair of unblinking, lifeless eyes stared right through her.

_**Bony fingers reached out to her...**_

In a moment of panic, Index blindly clicked the camera, resulting in a bright flash and a mechanical buzz.

Slowly, the girl opened her eyes and saw that the pale woman was now gone. The temperature of the room was back to normal; the presence she was felt in front of the door had completely vanish.

With the danger gone, Index felt her legs gone soft as the effects of the adrenaline vanish.

"So it does exist..." The girl whispered as she held on to the camera in hands.

"A machine that can reach out into the world of magic... The first successful hybridization of Science and Magic... The Camera Obscura..."

Not willing to stay any longer, Index quickly exit the room and back onto the first floor sunken fireplace where both Touma and her split up.

"Gaah!" Index gasped.

It was that same woman, though this time it doesn't seem like she notice Index at all.

Index quickly took a snap shot of the ghost before it vanishes at the door behind. Just like before, the cold presence immediately disappeared. A quick test on the doors revealed that it was locked, held shut by some powerful force with an eerie blue glow seem to be illuminating from it. Without hesitation, Index took a picture of the door. But something unusual happened, the presence that is keeping the door shut did not vanish, but instead a different image was shown through the camera.

"Does this mean... The core is somewhere else?"

Suddenly, a familiar voice called her.

"Oi! Index! What are you doing there?"

It was Touma.

"TOUMA!"

The small girl quickly jumped into his arms.

"Woah! Hey, cut it out In-" It was then Touma realized that she was shaking as she held him tight. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"IT WAS SO SCARY!" She bawled.

Not knowing what to do, the boy gently stroked her head in an attempt to calm her down.

A few minutes had passed before Index was ready to talk.

"So... You saw a ghost?" Touma sighed in disbelief. "Just my luck..."

"Yes, but not like the ones we talked about earlier..." Index place her hand on her chin.

"How so?" He raised his brows.

"If my speculations are correct, that 'ghost' is not really a 'spirit' or a 'soul', but a memory being encrypted into a large magic array, left behind when the original died."

"Huh?" Touma tilt his head in confusion, trying to sort out what Index had said.

"Well to put it simply, there are many ways to create the phenomenon known as a 'ghost'. This particular method is called [**Death Echo**]. It's when the memories of the decease was recorded like a video and then replayed over and over again. When a magician cast a spell, a part of his lifeforce gets imprinted onto it like a signature. It's the same with this, with a big enough spell, one can imprint someone else's lifeforce or memories along the way."

Touma slowly begins to understand the nun, but something is still bothering him.

"Wait Index, if these 'ghosts' are just memories, doesn't that mean they can't see us?"

"Yes, normally those memories would not be able to interact with us."

"Hmm... So it's like that time with the Alchemist huh? With the whole inside and outside coin business?"

Index nodded her head.

"Yes, like the characters in the story are unaware that they are in a story, and that we as the 'audience' don't exist." Index frowned as she continues. "But this spell has corruptions in it's array, and sometimes anomalies would appear in the 'script'."

"Anomalies?"

"Theoretically, the 'script' should play itself out without any external inference. But there are some pockets of error in the array that prevents the 'script' from being carried out, and that some external aid is require to bridge two sets of arrays together. It's like when I encountered that 'ghost' in the family alter room... Normally the 'script' would proceed without my intervention, but at that moment, it definitely felt like she was looking right at me..."

Touma once again thought back to his encounter with the Alchemist, and how the students that weren't suppose to see them, suddenly began to attack them.

"That's where this camera comes in handy."

"Speaking of which, what is it?" Touma gaze at the contraption in her hand.

"It's called the 'Camera Obscura'. It was created by Dr. Kunihiko Asou, a Japanese folklorist with the intend to look beyond the material world and capture "pictures of impossible things.". As the development of "Mystical Science," the field in which Dr. Asou studied, progressed, the Camera Obscura's abilities expanded and gained attention from many occultists and paranormal enthusiasts."

Index smiled at the boy.

"...It is one of the first ever successful attempt to merge science and magic."

"Is that so... But how is it suppose to help us?"

"It's in the description, _'to look beyond the material world'_, to put it in other words it's like peeling back the layers of cover to reveal the hidden secrets within. To use an analogy, the magic array that is creating the ghost is an 'encrypted world', this camera will reveal the secrets behind the encryption by blasting it open..."

Which would explain why a different image was seen in the camera than what they took off.

"And it should work as a tool to restore any dangerous 'Anomalies' along the way." The sister added.

"Then you should hold on to it, I already have Imagine Breaker, but with that camera you can at least protect yourself. For now, we need to find a way out of this house."

"Huh, what do you mean by that Touma?" Index inquired.

"I was just checking the entrance that we came in from,"Touma indicated the front door. "It's stuck, wouldn't budge an inch. It didn't seem like magic though, otherwise my hand would have dispelled it."

"Not necessarily Touma, it's possible that a core is somewhere else in this building, without destroying it first, it'll be pointless to try to break the seal on the door."

Index lift the camera and pointed it at the locked door.

"If my guess is correct, the image shown in the camera should lead us to the location of the core of the spell."

Index snapped a picture.

Touma couldn't believe his eyes as the image in the camera slowly changes into... A picture of a brazier?

"Hey, I know what this is!" Touma exclaimed. "I saw this in the room I was in before!"

"Really? Then let's go!" Index quickly pushed him along.

* * *

At the backroom, a dirty brazier stood in the center.

Touma wanted to use his hand to destroy the core, but Index insist on trying the camera.

Once again, the image shows a different picture. In this case, a more gruesome one.

"It looks like an injured man... And he's... Strangling someone?" Touma whispered quietly as he describes the scene in the picture. The man had multiple deep gashes across his face, the position of his hands indicate a choking motion, but Touma couldn't tell who he was attacking.

Once Index confirmed that the core has been destroyed, the two of them went back to the previous door. The strange presence was now gone.

"Why are we back here again?" Touma asked. "We broke the seal didn't we? Let's get out of here already."

"Touma, we only broke the seal to this door, somewhere else in this house is the core that has sealed shut the main entrance, we need to destroy that too." Index causally replied.

With that, the two of them opened the previously locked door. They entered a large tatami room, cold wind blew in from the atrium, aside from the shelves and boxes along the walls, and a large cloth hung across the center, the room was relatively empty. Touma and Index split up to search the two ends of the room.

On Touma's side, he found yet another notebook of the lost woman, the word 'Help!' was written hurriedly.

* * *

**_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_**_**.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**_

_Someone! Anyone!_

_Whoever see this, look for me._

_I'm trapped in this village._

_HELP ME!_

_**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**_

* * *

**"M**iyako Sudo... Just what the hell is going on?" Touma questioned the writings in his hands.

On the other side, Index wasn't having much luck either going through dusty boxes, until she came a crest with a copper key with a ginger design is carved on it.

_**{Even though we could finally meet...}**_

Without warning the pale woman appeared again and this time she was walking out of the room. Index knows she shouldn't follow but her instincts and natural curiosity to observe magic took over. She knew that woman would lead her to the seal's core somewhere in this house, and it was no coincidence that she appeared the moment Index picked up the [**Ginger Key**], she couldn't let this chance pass. She ran out without informing Touma who was still on the other side of the room searching.

_**{Where is he...}**_

The woman wept softly as she slowly climbed up the stairs. Index quietly follows behind the ghost which lead her to a door with a padlock with the design of a ginger on the top. It doesn't take a genius to know what to do next. Index inserted the key into the lock and unlocked it. The room she had entered looks like a Servant's resting quarter, with mats and blankets all over the floor.

_**{The Lost Village...}**_

There were several dishes and pots in the cabinet, nothing unusual about them. Boxes were piled up in a corner of the hallway, they're shut tight and impervious. Index found a page torn from a notebook is on the table.

* * *

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_How much time has passed since I came here? _

_How long will this night last? I can't take the darkness. _

_It's driving me crazy... I have to get out of here!_

_I have to see Masumi._

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

* * *

There's a hanging painting here, but it's so faded that no one can even see the colour of the flowers. The sliding door of the closet won't open anymore, upon closer inspection it looks like it's warped. On the opposite corner of the room, she found yet another page...

* * *

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

_I must be tired. If I start to relax, I pass out. Even in a crazy place like this. _

_The darkness here is creeping into my dreams. _

_Slaughter, rivers of blood, fallen people, a woman in a bloodstained kimono, insane laughter,_

_and twin sisters calling out "Don't kill me!"._

_That woman's laugh is seared into my mind. I don't want to sleep anymore._

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

* * *

That cold and dreadful atmosphere returned again. Suddenly, this didnt seem like such a good idea, but Index pushed on, determined to find the core somewhere in this room.

One final corner remains... And there lies another memo...

* * *

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

_Masumi found my note._

_He WAS in the village!_

_I can see him soon._

_I can't move..._

_I'll wait here._

_He'll be back_

_He'll find the way out._

_If he comes back..._

_If he comes back..._

_If he comes back..._

_If he comes back..._

_If he comes back..._

_If he comes back..._

_If he comes back..._

_If he comes back..._

_If he comes back..._

_If he comes back..._

_...He's here._

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

* * *

The last part of the memo ended abruptly.

"She also became trapped here..." Index stood up slowly and turned around.

_**{...He came back.}**_

"It's you isn't it? You're Miyako Sudo... You came into this house looking for your boyfriend..."

She should have realized it before the first time she saw her; it was the same woman from the picture in the bag. Her pale skin, dead eyes, dried lips and bruised neck didn't change the fact that she had the same face.

_**{Why?}**_

"And then..."

Index recalled the image that they saw when she took the picture of the brazier.

It was a horribly slashed man, strangling a person.

"...He killed you."

_**{Why?}**_

"And because of that, you became part of the [**Death Echo**]. Your lifeforce becomes a part of the array... Slaved forever to this 'Script'."

Miyako lunged at Index, who quickly sidestepped. After the initial few shocks of seeing the ghost, Index had gotten used to it, and wasn't so affected anymore.

_**{I waited so long...}**_

"This might hurt abit, but it's the only thing I can do for you now..."

Index raise the camera obscura and point it at Miyako.

_**{I had searched everywhere...}**_

Unlike the previous anomalies of Miyako, this Apparition of her was an advance stage of the corrupted array. She was directly trying to attack Index, meaning a more powerful exorcism was require. Index didn't have to apply any magic to it, the Camera Obscura would act as a tool, Index simply had to channel it in the appropriate technique that compliments the camera.

"In this case, the [_**Nine Syllable Seals**_] would do just fine..."

Miyako was slow, too slow in fact. She took far too long recover from her failed attempt and gave Index more than enough time to prepared the ritual. By the time Miyako rushed at her, it was too late. At the very last second before she touched her, Index snapped a shot using the camera, the resulting flash had a dramatic effect on Miyako as she gets flung back against the wall. As she slowly climbed to her feet, she never stopped crying.

_**{...Why?}**_

"I don't have any cool lines like Touma,"Index confessed to the pitiful creature. "all I can say is, may you rest in peace."

With a second shot, the ghost of Miyako Sudo screamed in agony as she vanished into light.

_**{Even though we finally met...Why?}**_

* * *

_*End of the first hour*_

* * *

_Coming Soon..._

**SECOND HOUR: **_**Into the Darkness**_

**Touma:** "Index has gone missing, AGAIN! The only way to get to her is to find the two keys hidden somewhere in this village, as I ran deeper into the village, a dark presence begins to surround the place, trying to hinder me at every turn. Since when does butterflies glow red? Just what the hell is going on here?"


	2. THE SECOND HOUR: Into the Darkness

_**Previously on To aru Majutsu no Index...**_

Lost in a dark forest, Touma and Index chanced upon a village and decided to stay for the night. Inside the Osaka house, they've discovered numerous messages left behind by someone who was here before them. But little would they expect to be playing the role as characters in a horror story as they find themselves trapped in the building.

_A woman looking for her lost lover... _

_A camera that reveals impossible pictures..._

_A village trapped in a never-ending nightmare..._

After Index exorcised the spirit of Miyako Sudo, the mysterious force that had sealed them inside the house was gone, but just as things were looking up...

* * *

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

_**{It's cold...}**_

_**{Can't breathe...}**_

_**{The water keeps coming...}**_

_**I'm sinking...**_

_**{It's dark... Dark...}**_

_**{Help me...}**_

_**{The darkness...}**_

_**{The darkness is coming...}**_

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

* * *

**THE SECOND HOUR: Into the Darkness**_**  
=============================**_

The woman's notebook was written by Miyako Sudo, girlfriend of the land surveyor that went missing, Masumi Makimura. It shows that interestingly enough, she knew about the village by rumors but decided to risk it to find her boyfriend. She had also displayed a slight sensitivity to the unnatural. As the notes continued, it showed that she was trapped in the village for a long period of time, possibly weeks. Through her dreams, she began to get visions of what happened in the village...

...And in the last entry, she found Masumi.

This was what Index had gathered from the writings both her and Touma found scattered throughout the Osaka house. Upon her death, her lifeforce became imprinted into this vast magical array that confined them to this building, using it as a core to seal anyone that had entered the house.

"And this... Is the medium that binds her to the array."

A blue Argonite stone, left on the floor where Index had exorcised the ghost of Miyako.

All she had to do was past it to Touma to be destroyed, then they could leave this place... It should have ended there, thought the young holder of the 103 000 grimoires.

Until she saw them.

Like dancing lights, they fluttered gently in front of her, as if inviting her out to play.

In an unnatural bright red glow, the crimson butterflies led the girl further down the rabbit's hole, into the heart of the darkness.

* * *

Kamijo Touma heard the earsplitting shriek coming from upstairs.

It didn't take him long to realize that his female companion was missing, and cursed himself for being unnecessarily careless. The scream didn't sound like it came from Index, but he wasn't going to take any chances. The high school student dashed to the large doors that led out of the room, only to find them shut tight by a mysterious force.

"Son of a-?"

_**The creaking sound like the opening of a wooden box.**_

Kamijo Touma froze.

_**{The darkness...}**_

_**{The darkness is coming...}**_

Something got a hold of his body; it was primal, it was elemental, it was the part of human nature and instincts that remained throughout thousands of years of evolution. The cold sweat that dripped down his back... The powerful rush of adrenaline that is being pumped into this blood... The racing heartbeat for increased blood flow, the dilated pupils for better vision, the hundreds of other biological change that he couldn't remember from class... All of this was apart of his 'fight or flight' response.

_**{Dark...}**_

_**{Dark...}**_

_**{Dark...}**_

The large wooden box that Touma was certain had been locked when he checked just seconds ago began to open by itself. Suddenly, a pale hand reached out from within, it was thin and bony like a branch with twigs for fingers. Moaning could be heard as the thing slowly crawls out of the box. It was woman with long hair as black as the moonless night, as she tries to stand up the disgusting 'crack' sound made from her joints indicated that she had been in that box for a very long time. The shroud of black hair made it hard to see her face, but her pale outstretched hands was clear to see.

Like a drunk, the woman stumbled towards him slowly and clumsily. With minimum effort, Touma could avoid her.

But the boy remain rooted to the ground, his fist tighten into a ball.

Fight or Flight.

"I don't know about ghosts and stuff like that..."

_**{The darkness...}**_

"But if you really are one..."

_**{The darkness is coming...}**_

"Then today is NOT your lucky day!"

With one powerful uppercut, Touma smashed his right fist into her chin, resulting in a bone crunching sound followed by a satisfying 'thud' as the woman flew back and crashed onto the floor. The familiar '_Pachii_!' sound of Imagine Breaker taking effect, the woman from the box slowly disintegrated into a flash of blue light, in her place was a brilliant moonstone that gives off a pale white glow.

_**{It's coming...}**_

Touma picked up the moonstone gently. Without warning, it cracks and shattered into a million pieces, a powerful feeling rushed into his head.

* * *

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

_The darkness..._

_the darkness is coming..._

_Dark..._

_dark..._

_dark..._

_It's coming..._

_coming..._

_coming..._

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

* * *

Touma gasped as he reeled back from the surprise.

The moonstone was probably magic-base as touching it with his right hand had destroyed it. The voice he had heard was from the Woman in the box, Touma remembered what Index had said about imprinting one's lifeforce and memories, it's highly likely that the woman's final thoughts were cast onto the moonstone when she died in the box.

But first, he needed to find Index.

The door leading to the main room with sunken fireplace was now opened; whatever mysterious force that had been holding it was now gone.

"OI! INDEX!"

Touma ran as fast as he could in the direction of the scream, his footsteps thundered on the wooden stairs. In the large servant quarters, he tore the place apart looking for the girl, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Index? Where are you?"

All of a sudden he heard the sound of a door closing.

It had came from the main entrance.

"That damned sister!" Touma stormed back down. "Stiyl's gonna have my head if he finds out about this!"

* * *

The unknown force that had locked them in the house was gone.

Outside the house was quiet save for the sounds of running. Touma sprinted his way through the village, all around him were abandon rundown houses and huts with no one in sight, there was virtually no evidence that there were any living being left in the village. But if that were the case, why were all the lamps being lit? Someone or something was out there. Touma could feel it on the ground, he could sense it in the wind, it was everywhere, hiding in the dark corners, oppressive, choking, unnatural. But it had no animosity, not yet anyway... Like a predatory beast sleeping.

But you know that it would eventually wake up hungry.

As the boy proceeds down the long flight of stone stairs with large massive walls caging him on both flanks, he forced those negative thoughts out of his head; they're unimportant at the moment, what's important was to find Index, he could worry about whatever phenomenon that had befall the village later. As he turned a corner he caught a glimpse of silver hair, he quicken his pace realizing that it must belong to Index.

"Oi Index! Index!"

The boy yelled till his lungs burned out but still the girl ignored him as if in a trance. In front was a massive gate that was decorated in oriental style, from beyond the gate Touma saw a bridge leading up to a big house in the far distance.

Suddenly, the huge doors of the gate began to close.

"OH SHIT? INDEX!"

Touma dashed towards her, but it was already too late. The doors slammed right in his face.

"God damnit! Index! Can you hear me? INDEX!"

Touma pounded his fists against the immovable object as he yelled, desperate to know if Index is safe or if she's being kidnapped by ghosts, or whatever messed up situation that could possibly happen. His mind was in a frenzy, trying to figure out what to do next.

And that's when he noticed the murmurs.

"Oh crap..."

Slowly turning around, he was greeted by an unnerving sight. He counted at least ten ghostly white men before he stop bothering. Some of them were carrying torches of pale flames, their clothes looked old with visible tears and patches seen clearly. The most chilling features seems to be that none of them had eyes; to be more precise, two black spots cover their face where eyes should have been, when they opened their mouth all Touma could see was darkness.

The ghostly mob swing their torches violently as they surrounded Touma, creeping ever closer towards him...

* * *

"_**FUKOUDAAA!"**_

Screamed Touma as he streaked through the village, behind him was the mob of pissed off ghosts hunting him like a fox. Not willing to risk trading fists with that many enemies, Touma did what he does best and punched the closest guy in the face, then took off like a bat out of hell before his buddies realized what had happen.

Thankfully, it seems that the undead were slow on the uptake as well as giving chase. Diving around the corner of another large house, Touma initially thought he had hit a dead end, but he quickly noticed the small door concealed between the wooden fence and the side of the building's wall. With little hesitation, the boy entered the door just as the mob of white villagers was closing in on him. From behind the safety of that small door, Touma could hear the ghostly men searching for him, only a few minutes later did all the commotion died down and Touma let out a sigh of relief.

"Why is it that no matter where I go, I'm always being chased!" The boy lamented in despair.

"_Who's there?"_

Touma was that close to having a heart attack. Observing his surroundings, he concluded that he had just entered some kind of backyard garden. As he walked around the corner, he could see light sipping out from a small barred window.

"Yae? Is that you? Yae? Yae- No, who are you? I don't remember seeing you before...?"

Standing from the opposite side of the small hole was a young teenage boy probably no older than Touma himself. The most outstanding feature was his pale skin, slight redness in eye colour, and pure white hair- all signs of Albinism. Touma was unsure if this person was a ghost like the other members of the Village or simply a lost visitor like himself, either way it didn't seem like he's hostile.

"My name is Kamijo Touma, I've somehow ended in this village while I was looking for my companion, and I've just narrowly escaped from-"

The Albino boy interrupted his unfortunate tale.

"That doesn't matter! You have got to get out! The ritual will begin soon. If that happens..."

"Wait, what ritual? I thought-"

"You're an outsider there are things you shouldn't get involved with, please you have to leave this village before it's too late!"

Touma didn't need to be told twice, he already got that message from the angry mob of ghosts that were chasing him.

"That's fine and I'm all for leaving pal, but my friend... She's trapped somewhere in this village, behind this large gate- There's some kind of bridge on the opposite site, do you know anything about it?"

"A bridge? You mean the 'Whisper bridge'? But that would mean she's inside the Ceremony Master's house! But how? Outsiders aren't allow into the house... When the confinement starts, the gate would be locked."

And somehow that damn sister just so happen to slip through just before that happen, Touma groaned from all the coincidental misfortune. But there was something about what the white-haired boy had said... Something about a ritual, could that be why Index was drawn into the Ceremony house? Was she on to something?

Touma shook his head to clear those unnecessary thoughts; All that matters now was to find Index, everything else can wait.

"Please, I need to find my friend! I can't just leave her behind! I'm asking you for your help, please!"

His words were filled with determination and his eyes held conviction. The albino boy hesitated for a moment before giving in to his plea.

"There might still be time to catch up. The keys that unlock the gate to 'Whisper Bridge' are enshrined in the Twin Deities Statues. The twin statue keys are hidden in Twin Deity Statues somewhere in the village. As I've recalled, there should be one just on the other side of this house."

"The other side of the house, got it!"

"Wait! There's more, the gate has two key holes, that means you'll need two keys to open it. You would to find the second key by yourself I'm afraid."

"I understand...Thank you."

"Listen, if you cannot find a way to leave the village, or if you're lost at something, come and find me. I may be able to help..."

"I appreciate it thanks..." As Touma place his hand on the small door, he had one last inquiry for the pale boy. "By the way, you never told me your name."

"_Itsuki... Tachibana Itsuki." _He smiled. "I hope you find your friend, Kamijo-san..."

As the small door closes to signify that the outsider was gone, Itsuki whispered to himself.

_"Yae... Sae..."_

* * *

Touma followed Itsuki's directions to the back of the large house, the sign on the main door identifies itself as the 'Kiryu House'. There, he found a statue of guardian deities like what Itsuki had said. Upon closer observation, it looks like twin idols were carved into its face. There seem to be many statues just like this one throughout the village. Surrounding the area are unnatural crimson glowing butterflies fluttering over the statue of guardian deities. Touma certainly was curious about them, but decided to ignore it for now.

Reaching in, Touma pulled out one piece of the twin keys, it was an odd shape that didn't resemble any key he had seen before. In fact, it was more like a 'key card'.

As Touma studies the twin key first then the twin statue, a nagging feeling kept scratching the back of his skull. There was something that he had forgotten, something very important. Suddenly, the answer hit him like a ton of brick; He realized where he had seen this statue before- _**Misono Hill**_, just in the outskirts of the Village where he and Index came from, there was a statue similar to the one like this on the other side of the hill, not far from the ritual site.

"Well I'll be darn- Ehh? WOAH!"

Without warning, a ghost thingy with a dark flamed torch took a swing at him from behind. With less than a second to reaction, Touma clumsily dived out of the weapon's way as time itself seem to have slowed down due to the rush of adrenaline. The dark flames narrowly cleared him except for a single strain of hair from his spiked head didn't make it through. As it touches the flames, an unholy chill was felt instead of a burning sensation. Touma was reminded about all those superstitions nonsense he had heard about ghost hunters looking for electromagnetic waves or cold spots as signs of spiritual presence.

Perhaps there might some hint of truth after all?

Touma hastily stumbled to his feet, a quick glance at his surround reveals no other immediate threat. This ghost was alone but if he didn't displace it quickly more might join him soon.

The ghost thingy followed up his attacks with several wild swings with his weapon, the dark flame whiz around silently like a overgrown butterfly. Though compared to his other adversaries in the past this one was a slowpoke, plus his movement pattern was easy to figure out.

_Pachii!_

A mean right hook staggered the white man but he didn't disappear like the woman in the box. Still, that familiar sound meant that Imagine Breaker did have an effect on it. Even at that distance he could feel the cold spot projected around the ghost like an aura. Refusing to let the creature have even a moment to recover, Touma close in for a straight punch, followed by an impression uppercut. It's awkward to be moving his right hand like that, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to test his left hand against it yet.

_Pachii!_

This time, the white man groaned in pain as he collapsed onto the ground, dispersing into tiny blue balls of light.

* * *

Like a ravenous army of ants, the entire village was alive and swarming with spectral entities armed with farming equipment and were hellbent on finding Touma. Fortunately they fell pretty far short on intelligence points and it didn't take a lot of effort for Touma to evade capture or detection.

Passing through the dark woods via the same rough and winding path that he took, Touma backtracked his way up to Misono Hill where he soon found the second Twin Statue on the left side of the hill, not too far yet not exactly near either.

It was an identical copy of the one before but now with glowing butterflies included. Curiously, like the previous stone idol, one of the stone twins had it's head removed. Touma initially thought it was natural damage or vandalism but maybe it was just creative choice? Either way it was the same as before, Touma reach into the opening that he knew was there and pulled out the second Twin key.

But this time he was ready.

**BAM!**

The boy immediately cart-rolled away from the spot as a large wooden pole smacks hard where he was just split-seconds ago. There were three of them this time, and each of them held a different weapon in their hands. The first one that Touma noticed was the Pole Bearer that attacked him, the seven foot stick was an obvious sight. To his left flank was a ghost wielding a sickle used in farming activities, even though it's covered with rusty Touma still wouldn't want to go near that thing. The last ghost was holding a torch like the one before.

This would be a difficult fight given the three-to-one odds. Touma understand his capabilities very well, he could win in a one on one fight, maybe even survive a two to one, but he would immediately run when the enemy count reach three or more. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem like an option now. The three white men have positioned themselves to block off any attempts to escape, not a difficult task seeing as there's only one route back into the village.

Touma clenched his teeth.

There's always a first time for everything.

With surprising ferocity, the Sickle Bearer lash out at him. Touma could feel the brush of wind past his face as the blade barely missed his face. Even though the 'ghost' themselves are supposedly just 'memories', the weapon they carry are still real, that means [Imagine Breaker] wouldn't be able to protect him from them. Touma sidestepped away from his attacker instinctively, but only to be met with the Torch Bearer as he swing down his dark flame stick, Touma quickly crossed his forearms to block the blow. The resulting impact wasn't particularly painful, but it's still enough to leave a bruise.

Suddenly, he spotted movement from the corner of his eye. The Pole Bearer took advantage of his immobility and flank his sides, a thrust from the long pole connected with Touma's ribs. The pain was severe but manageable, on the bright side he had broken free from the torch bearer.

"_Argh_! I've no time to play with you guys!"

The Sickle Bearer made another attempt to slash him again but Touma ignored it and instead made a beeline for the Pole Bearer. Wielding such a lengthy tool, Touma suspected that he would be the slowest of the three to respond. The Pole Bearer thrust his weapon at Touma who promptly grabbed it tight to prevent him from using it. Behind him the Sickle Bearer performed a vertical cut aimed at his head, Touma yanked the pole back and used it to block the attack, resulting in the sickle's blade being lodged onto the stick.

In one swift and brutal move, Touma smashed his right fist onto the wrist of the Sickle Bearer and shattered it... Literally.

The monster moaned in pain as he held the stump that used to be his hand. With his left hand still firm gripping the pole, Touma went for the killing blow as he caved the former Sickle Bearer's face in with a powerful right hook.

Not missing a beat, the boy charged towards the Pole Bearer who was still trying to pull free from Touma's grip. One hay-maker followed by a back-fist strike later, and Touma's enemy count was now down to just one. Touma pulled out the sickle that was stuck in the pole and held it in his left hand. The Touch Bearer seem unfazed by the fact that he had just took out two of his buddies and charged at him fearlessly.

Five steps away.

_Wait for it... _

The last ghost raised his torch as he approaches.

_Wait for it..._

Three steps away.

_Wait for it..._

One step.

"NOW!" He yelled in excitement.

Using the sickle's blade, Touma deflected the incoming torch away from his body, leaving the bearer open to counter attacks, in the form of Touma's fist as he bashed away.

* * *

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_For some reason, one of the statues is in the form of twins. _

_I have also found a description of a "Twin Deities Statue" in the writings lying around the house._

_In this region, twins serve an unusual purpose. _

_Twins sisters and brothers perform a special ritual here._

_Each time a ritual is completed, a new Twin Deities Statue is placed somewhere in the village._

_The ritual occurs every few decades, and judging by the number of Twin Deities Statues, this tradition is very old. _

_For some reason, one of the twins always has its head broken off. _

_Sometimes the are sculpted without a head from the start._

_Maybe it doesn't mean anything, but something here doesn't feel right. _

_I'm beginning to think that I was wrong to leave Miyako behind alone._

_Unfortunately, I was unable to find any detailed information about the twin ritual. _

_I have to find a way to get out of here fast..._

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

* * *

Touma closed the book.

The Torch Bearer dropped it after he defeated him, it was a report on the village written by none other than their lost surveyor, Masumi Makimura. The sheer coincidence of this entire thing is possible for Touma to accept. Nevertheless, as he reads through the notes, he can't help but feel that Makimura-san was on to something.

"The ritual that he was describing, it most likely the same one that Itsuki was talking about... It can't be a coincidence that the keys to the gate are found in these [Twin Deities Statues]."

Masumi Makimura also noticed the statues always had a missing face or head for one of the twins, and speculated if it was somehow related to this mysterious ritual.

"Itsuki said that _'the ritual was about to begin'_, but if what Index said was truth, something had already happened to this village. Something that killed those villagers and turned their memories into-"

Suddenly the realization had dawn to him; in the notes that Miyako Sudo had left behind she talked about a massacre that had occurred in this village on the day of a ceremony. Maybe the massacre was the cause of the ritual's failure, and instead cause the large scale [Death Echo] phenomenon right now. If that's case the question still remains; What exactly were the villagers trying to do with that ritual? What was it for? And why were they attempting it again?

Like a jigsaw puzzle, it's impossible to figure out the picture with only pieces from the outside. To get to the bottom of this, Touma needs to find Index and get to the heart of the mystery. Both of which he bet could be found inside the ceremony master's house.

With the keys in hand, Touma trudged back down to the village.

Back into the nightmare.

* * *

_**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**_

_**{The 'Kusabi' is coming...}**_

_**{I'm so sorry...}**_

_**{It is our way...}**_

_**{It is the only way...}**_

_**{We had no choice...}**_

_**{But to make an outsider a 'Kusabi'...}**_

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

* * *

The Village was quiet again.

Just moments ago it was as if a state of emergency had been declared, but now all of a sudden things were peaceful again.

The whole thing was beyond suspicious and Touma didn't like it, nevertheless he was thankful that he didn't have to run into any more angry farmers.

He inserted the twin keys into the locks of the large gate. The pieces fit in effortlessly and with a sharp twist, the mechanical parts grinds and cranks but ultimately release their hold on the doors. Fully expecting another ghostly ambush, Touma kicked the doors open with force as he jumped back two steps.

Nothing happened.

"So that's why they needed a bridge."

It was a surreal sight. A black lake in the middle of the village, surrounded by a thick coat of mist from all sides. Separating the dark waters in two was a single wooden bridge which lead to a monstrously large house in the distance, far bigger than anything he had seen in the village, fitting of the title [**Ceremony Master House**]. But there was something wrong, something that Touma couldn't explain. The moment Touma laid eyes on it, his brains sees a mansion, but his gut instincts screamed a monster. It was a feeling that was beyond rational logic and thinking, to the city boy it was as if the house was alive and breathing.

A slumbering creature, waiting for it's next meal.

And Touma was heading right into the belly of the beast.

As he crosses the bridge, every step he took was hard and heavy, every move he made felt like lead, every breath was cold and dense.

The wooden planks creaked, the thick mist whispers, the shadows were alive and eager to claim him.

Touma was scared, he wasn't ashamed to admit it.

But every time his courage falter, he reminded himself that Index was there all alone. If he was scared then she would be terrified. He needed to find her, no matter what, how or where.

Even if she was in hell right now, Touma would just have to pull her back out.

"**Bring it on.**" he declared.

* * *

_*End of the second hour*_

* * *

_Coming Soon..._

**THIRD HOUR: _My name is Death_**

**Index: "**I've followed the butterflies back to the large house by the lake. The air around the place felt dark, dense and suffocating. There's no mistaking it- the source of this gigantic curse is somewhere here! I just need to find the core... But still... This place... I can feel it... That icy cold grip... Alot... Alot of people had died here..."


	3. The THIRD HOUR: My name is Death

_**Previously on To aru Majutsu no Index...**_

Lost in a dark forest, Touma and Index chanced upon a village and decided to stay for the night. When Index suddenly disappeared, Touma found himself fighting the entire village of ghosts, all of them determine to stop him from reaching the Ceremonial master's house. But fortunately, he was able to get help from a stranger.

_A boy with white hair, imprisoned in a storehouse..._

_A mysterious ritual that had gone wrong..._

_A mansion in the middle of a dark lake..._

After finding the twin keys that opens the gates to the Ceremonial Master's House, Touma was just about to cross the Whispering Bridge to the other side...

* * *

_**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**_

_**What is this that I cant see...**_

_**With ice cold hands taking hold of me?**_

_**When God is gone and the Devil takes hold...**_

_**Who will have mercy on your soul?**_

_**Ohhh Death...**_

_**Ohhh Death...**_

_**Ohhh Death...**_

…_**Won't you spare me over til another year?**_

_**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**_

* * *

**THE THIRD HOUR: _My name is Death  
_=============================**

This was bigger than he had thought. What started out as a single 'home invasion' scernario had turned into an all out disaster. Index was somewhere in that creepy old mansion, across this creepy old bridge, surrounded by this creepy black lake. Itsuki, the white haired boy he talked to mention something about a 'ritual' being held in the Ceremonial Master House. The ghost villagers themselves were hellbent on stopping him that means whatever that was inside, they really don't want him to see it. Touma was willing to bet his ridiculously poor savings that it has something to do with the village's current 'predicament'. He figured Index being Index, must had picked up something that he as an amateur had missed so if he's going to get to the bottom of this mystery, he needs to find her fast.

But first he had to deal with a little problem.

The [**Floating Woman**] lunged at him again, Touma promptly ducked and rolled, then took a swing at her and missed. Before he could get back up onto his feet, the ghost popped up from the bridge beneath him and tried to push him into the water. Unlike the previous villagers that he fought before this Floating Woman could levitate and she's using it to her advantage by phasing in and out of the bridge. Every time Touma tried to hit her she ducks under the bridge only to pop out behind him. Touma himself couldn't be trapped in a worst place- A bridge with only one way to go. And while he can only fight on the platform, his enemy can take full advantage of the environment.

"_Argh damn it! I'm so close!" _Touma cursed.

It doesn't look like he won't be getting in anytime soon.

* * *

_*Click*_

On the other side of the bridge, Index took a picture of the girl wearing a bloody kimono who immediately vanished afterward. The ghost had her back facing toward her so Index wasn't able to catch a glimpse of her face.

The front yard was paved with stone tiles with stumps of oil lamp post positioned evenly throughout as well as a small patch of garden were on both side of the yard. She could faintly make out the skyline of trees through the darkness. Nobody could be taking care of them now, but they still blend beautifully with the landscape.

The main door of the mansion was just a few steps away, the sign beside identified itself as the [**Kurosawa House**].

Carefully, Index opened the door and entered.

The place was completely pitch dark, as if light itself was forbidden to enter. There were no lanterns to show the way, no windows for the moonlight to sip through. It took awhile for her eyes to adjust to the darkness but even then it was almost impossible to make out anything with a certain level of detail further than her own hand, the only thing she could identify was a single hallway leading deeper into the house.

_**{The twins that will become the Sacrifice have returned...}**_

Index almost jumped out of her clothes. A man dressed in a Shinto-like priest garb with a ceremonial staff had suddenly appeared behind her just as she entered the passage. She had gotten used to the spooky talking by now, but the element of _'Surprise!'_ still shook the hell out of her.

The camera snapped noisily, but the shadowy priest seem preoccupied with something else.

It seemed almost like he's waiting for someone...

Index continued down the hallway. Along the walls were dusty out urns- the flowers in the them were completely withered and dry, they crumbled at even the slightest touch.

"Guests must have been entertained here at one time..."

Ever since Index step foot into the mansion, a thick and heavy atmosphere seem to be pressing down on her. This was far more powerful than what she felt in the Osaka house, far more dangerous. There is no mistaking it, the source of the [Death Echo] Phenomenon originated from this building. But there was something else about this place, something more sinister that sets it apart from the outside village. A cold, silent, but absolute presence could be felt. It was familiar, yet terrifying at the same time.

Death.

This house is filled with Death.

_**{The Kusabi is coming...} **_

Unnerving whispering filled the main hallway as she walked across them. At the end were two doors, one to the right while the other to the left.

The right door appears to be secured by a lock, engraved with a [**butterfly symbol**].

There's no way through it for now, so Index opened the other door.

A lit candle stand stood behind the door, illuminating a small portion of the room which revealed more Kimonos on hangers. As soon as she entered, Index saw a spirit kneeling on the floor. Like the priest in the corridor this one doesn't seem to have noticed her. Taking great caution, she sneaked around the Kimono as she tried to get a closer look at the spirit.

"Is it...Crying?"

It was a skinny man, he was kneeling in fear, trembling, crying and praying for help.

_**{The Kusabi is coming...} **_

_**{The Kusabi is coming...} **_

_**{The Kusabi is coming...} **_

Index felt pity for the shade as he promptly disappeared.

A quick check of the room revealed nothing else special, only a single door on the south side of the room. Opening that door leads to yet another dark and decrepit hallway with the flair of a medieval English dungeon only with more candle stands to light up the path.

Without warning, a mob of ghost villagers suddenly rushed towards her from the other end. In her panic, she crouch down and covered her head, waiting for the inevitable. But the riot wasn't interested in her, they seem to be in a hurry to get away from something else... Like a flock of sheeps from a hungry wolf.

_**{The Kusabi is coming...!} **_

_**{The Kusabi is coming...!} **_

_**{The Kusabi is coming...!} **_

Index watched in suspense as the spirits ignored and ran past her. She didn't have to be a genius to figure out that something very, very bad was in the direction where they were running from, and that's where she was supposed to go to get answers. Just before the last of the mob disappeared, one of the spirits tripped and collapsed onto the floor. Right before her eyes, violent gashes started erupting from the man. He howled in pain for it to stop but none of the others did anything.

Then just like how it started, the screaming stopped abruptly.

The man's body laid still but he didn't disappear.

Index gripped her camera tight.

"It's coming..." She whispered.

_**Silently, the man got to his feet, his center of gravity was uneven, causing him to stagger as he move. **_

_**His head tilt up, and his eyes...**_

_**Looked.**_

_**Right.**_

_**Back.**_

"...!"

The man lumbered towards Index. Thinking fast, she quickly snapped a shot with her camera, but the man seem to be unfazed by the flash. Once within arm's length, he hunched over and tried to grab Index with both hands. The Sister evaded his attempt and dived pass him.

There was something different about this ghost from Miyako. If it was even a tiny bit attached to this plane, the camera should have worked on it. A corruption this severe in the Array would have stuck out like a car wreck on the highway. But the fact that he didn't even flinched would mean that he was not apart of this plane... If so, there was no way he could harm her, so why was he attacking?

"Unless..." Index studied the slashed man again.

"Yes... Just as I've thought."

Index stood just out of his reach and waited.

The man staggered a few steps then hunched over again and prepared to strike at her.

_*Buzzz*_

The mechanic buzz of the camera rang out, followed by the man's cries of pain as he stumbled back.

"You're in a state of Limbo." Index explained to him. "Your body isn't fully anchored onto this plane just yet. The only time you become corporeal is when you attack, but at the same time, it's when you become susceptible to the effects of the camera."

But of course, there's no way the violent spirit could understand her.

When the [**Limbo Man**] hunched again, Index raised the camera.

_*Buzzz*_

* * *

Thankfully, the passage way didn't turn out to be a labyrinth. It was a straight route in with only two turns that lead to an exit. On one of the sliding doors, Index found there are a great many [**bloody hand prints]** on the plastered wall beside it. They weren't just tasteless paintings either, the prints were made with such force, that you can see the indentations in the plaster. The sliding door on the other hand was, unsurprising, locked. It seems to be held shut by some powerful force. There wasn't anything she could do about it for now.

Of course, bloody hand prints were never a good sign anywhere, let alone a haunted mansion, so Index wasn't too eager to find out what's inside that room.

Taking a turn at another corner, Index found a pair of large sliding doors and could have sworn she heard voices coming from the other side. The door wasn't locked and with nowhere else to look, Index took a deep breath then entered the room. Judging by the size alone, it looked like she stepped into some sort of a Great Hall. It was very spacious and could probably hold at least a hundred people, in the past this would be where the head of the village held his meetings, now it's just another dirty room.

There was a [**glowing fluorite crystal**] found near the sunken fireplace, the rock was blinking like a firefly.

As Index picked up the stone, a familiar sensation flooded her mind.

* * *

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

_{Yae, we promised...}_

_{Promised...}_

_{That we always be together!}_

_{Why!}_

_{Why...}_

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

* * *

"Yae? Who's that?" Index wondered.

There was nothing else outstanding in the Great Hall. Index was slightly disappointed as she had hope a room of such space and importance would hold some clue or hints that would help point her in the right direction. There was another door in the north-east corner, she took one last look at the room before exiting from it.

Outside, Rain is pouring down on the small garden open to the skies. There's an object here covered by a large heavy cloth which became filthy after being expose to the elements over a long period of time. A long flight of stairs leading up was the only route that she could identify. It led to another hallway and almost every door was locked save for the last one furthest in which turns out to be a study room.

On top of the chest of drawers, there is a beautiful red dish on display. There are flowers on display in the round, dimly-lit window.

Index couldn't ask for anything better, if there's one thing she's good at, it's reading.

And if there's one place to find out about a mystery, you can bet you'll find something in the library.

Many difficult-sounding books line the shelves. They're on subjects like 'legends', 'sacrifices' and 'rituals'. Index could spend hours memorizing all the contents, hardly a challenge for someone like her. But she isn't here on a study trip and needed information fast, something that could lead her to the source of the [Death Echo], her best bet is to look for details about the ritual that started all this, and for any records on what might had happened on that fateful day which led to this.

One book stood out to her.

It was written by a [**folklorist**] who was in the village during the time of a ceremony.

* * *

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

_For several days, earthquakes have increased in frequency. At the same time, Crimson Butterflies are swarming, sometimes blocking the sun. Somehow, they look sad. Villagers that see them put their hands together in prayer. The entire village has an air of impending doom. The village is quite fearful of the earth's fury. Perhaps the Crimson Sacrifice Ritual is performed to purify the ground. In the past, every area had some type of ground purifying ceremony. Many of these offered sacrifices to try to calm the gods. If that custom still remains today, it explains the stillness in the village. The Twin Shrine Maidens must be the "guardian deities" of this village. The guardian deities, the Twin Shrine Maidens, have become Crimson Butterflies, and returning to the village._

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

* * *

_**{Munakata... That was quick. Did you find Itsuki?}**_

Once again Index was almost scared out of her wits; standing across from the room was the whitish spirit of a middle age man. Unlike the Limbo Man from before, this person doesn't seem to have a scratch on him and soon disappeared without incident. He referred to Index as '_Munakata_' and asked if she had found someone called '_Itsuki_', both of which are names that didn't ring a bell to her. Index come to realize that she had only just scratched the surface of a very dark story. Even if she had uncover the purpose of the Ritual, she mustn't ignore the human element involved behind the big picture.

There was another book on the floor where the man had stood, this one is about a disaster...

* * *

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

_Ancient village records have been stored in the Ceremony Master's house. Many discuss the legends, folktales or rituals of the village. There are sure to be many records of folklore value. The Forbidden Ritual is also called the Crimson Sacrifice Ritual. Twins are used to help seal the gate to hell. There are two parts. The Visible Ceremony, which occurs periodically, and if it fails, a Hidden Ceremony is performed. If all the ceremonies fail, the gate to hell will open, the dead will pour out, and the skies will go dark. They call this disaster the "Repentance". The whereabouts of Munakata's friends, the twin boys Itsukiu and Mutsuki, are unknown, which is a little troubling. If they are found, I might be able to ask about the village._

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

* * *

"A sacrifice..." Index whispered.

Throughout history, almost all ancient civilizations had their fair share of sacrificial rituals. Whether it's slaughtering a goat or cutting out the hearts of men, the idea that an offering of Life is the way to appease the gods is as old as time. To a magician, the exchange of life for power is perhaps one of the greatest taboo currently recognized world wide, anyone committing the crime will be severely punished by any of the major religious communities. That being said, there are many rogue magicians still practicing sacrificial ritual magic, the reason is simple- **They are incredibly powerful.**

In fact, they are so powerful, one could use them to control to powers of the gods.

The Druids of the Celtic tribes use human sacrifice to gain the powers of their many gods. The Chinese used to offer the heads of their prisoners of war to their ancestors. The Norse god of thunder Thor was rumored to have a tree where his believers hung human sacrifices. This was not restricted to Pagan religions only, the self sacrifice of the Son of God was what cleansed the sins of man and Abraham was told by God to sacrifice his own son.

Whatever the reasons, the people of this village were dappling into a very ancient and very powerful form of magic. A spell of such magnitude could easily cause the [Death Echo] phenomenon should things go horribly wrong.

That aside, there was another reference to 'Munakata' and 'Itsuki', the latter revealed to have a twin named 'Mutsuki'. Not much is mention about Munakata.

Index shook her head.

"One thing at a time..."

There was something else being mentioned in those books. A disaster known as the [**Repentance**] was said to occur should the ritual fail. It's not sure how much of the description was accurate or simply over exaggeration, but bottom line was that it's something the villagers really don't want to happen. This [Repentance] easily describes the [Death Echo], but something's off about it- The repentance was said to occur because the Ritual failed, but it also mentions that there was some kind of 'evil' power that had already existed, and that the Ritual was simply a solution to a problem, and not the problem itself.

Index might had gotten this all wrong.

"There was something else before the Ritual, something more powerful that had caused all this."

The ritual that the villagers were trying to perform was meant to stop the [Repentance] from happening, the failure of the Ritual didn't manifest the [Death Echo], it was the [Repentance] that was unleashed. Despite all that had happened, Index couldn't help but felt a little proud of herself for solving an important piece of the riddle.

With nothing else to learn from this room, Index process to another door in the northern corner of the study.

This led her to a very disturbing little room.

It was a simple room with just two boards blocking her view of the other door- none of which were particularly outstanding.

But the lights... _**They kept**_ _**flickering on and off.**_

Index calm her nerves and ready the camera should anything try to ambush her here. She made her way to the other door only to find it with a menacing padlock in her way. However, there seem to be something distorted about the lock which reminded her of something she had seen before.

"This was just like the Osaka House..."

Index snapped a photo of the lock. A disturbing image was seen in the camera.

It looks like countless hand prints on a wall.

"Wait, hand prints?"

* * *

_**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**_

_**No wealth, no ruin, no silver, no gold...**_

_**Nothing satisfies me but your soul.**_

_**Well I am Death, none can excel...**_

_**I'll open the door to Heaven or Hell.**_

_**Ohhh Death... Ohhh Death...**_

_**My name is Death, and the end is here...**_

_**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**_

* * *

Index was back in the dark passageway where the Limbo Man had attacked her.

"How many places have bloody hand prints on their walls?"

As she approaches the wall in question, the sliding door which she found to be sealed shut the last time, eerily slide itself open to invite her inside. If the bloody hand prints on the wall outside were disturbing, what Index saw inside was outright revolting. The entire room was covered in dried blood, the amount could not be produced by any single human alone. It was a small place with barely any furniture, one could easily squeeze twenty people here.

"... As Touma would have said..."

The moment Index stepped in, the door shut itself violently behind her.

"...It's a trap." Index smiled wryly.

The ghostly figure of a woman materialized in the center of the room.

She was badly slashed all over her body, similar to the 'Limbo Man'. Her clothes were tattered and torn while her face were marked by deep gashes. Both her forearms had been chopped off and judging by the wounds it wasn't done cleanly either. The woman continued to flail her missing stumps as she floated menacingly towards Index. With the exit sealed shut by the usual '_mysterious forces_', Index had no choice but to defeat this ghost.

Instead of waiting for the woman to make the first move, Index decided to take the initial. The room was too small and didn't give her a lot of options to run, so she cannot afford to use the 'bait and wait' tactics from before. Index quickly raised her camera...

Only to realize that the woman had vanished before her very eyes.

Index's confusion didn't last long as the she-ghost reappeared directly from the wall behind her. Once again, the sister was forced into a defensive position to avoid her flailing stumps. But just before she could retaliate, the woman disappeared once again. Not wanting to be surprised like that again, Index quickly ran to the center of the room, far away from any of the four walls. There she checked all of her corners and waited for the ghost to come out.

"It's just like the man in limbo from before... But this time, she's completely phasing in and out of this plane at will..."

[**Limbo Woman**] was smart enough to teleport directly behind her, but thankfully she was still screaming and moaning some incomprehensible lines about returning her missing limbs which made it easy to locate her quickly after she had vanished. The problem was that she tends to drop out of sight after within a few seconds after each surprise-attack, making it hard for Index to take her picture. The only way to catch this ghost was to anticipate where she would reappear.

"Five seconds..."

Index had monitored the woman's behavior since the beginning- not a difficult task given her perfect memory. She had a window of exactly two seconds to catch the [Limbo Woman] in action before disappearing which was not a lot of time, but the five seconds it took for her to reappear was more than what she needed.

Index waited till the [Limbo Woman] vanish again, then quickly ran towards the nearest wall and face her back towards it.

"...Three... Four!"

A split second before the [Limbo Woman] should reappear, Index spun her body around to face the wall behind her, she raised her camera and took a picture, catching the ghost right in the middle of her ambush.

After a few more repeats of this trick, the Limbo Woman soon burst into a dazzling display of lights and the sliding door immediately opened. There was something on the ground where the spirit had stood when she 'died', Index picked it up and saw that it was a bloodstained wooden key, carved with a [**diamond stack design**] most likely the key to the locked door in the flickering room. She had also found a [**Faintly Glowing Crystal**] on the floor.

The crystal reflects a light yellow glow.

* * *

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

_The Kusabi..._

_The Kusabi is coming..._

_Help me..._

_The Ritual was a failure..._

_Miss Sae..._

_So this is The Repentance..._

_The village will be..._

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

* * *

"Sae... Yae... " Index echoed those names while deep in thought.

Something else was bothering her as well.

Ever since she entered the Kurosawa House, the word [**Kusabi**] had been repeated quite often with these spirits. That man in the Antechamber was scared of something he called the [Kusabi], those people that ran passed her in the dark passageway were trying to get away from the [Kusabi], both the Limbo Man and Limbo Woman were killed by this [Kusabi] as they all shared the same slashed marks on their bodies. But what in Heaven's name is it? A curse ...? An object ...? ...A person? Could this [Kusabi] be the very thing responsible for the [Repentance]? All Index knows for sure was that the other ghosts were frighten of it...

Which makes Index just as equally, if not more, terrified.

With the [**Diamond Key]** in hand, it was time to return back to the flickering room upstairs.

But the moment she slide opened the door and walked into the main hall- everything went horribly wrong.

_**Thunder roared from the outside.**_

_**Pouring rain rattled the wood.**_

_**The air became cold and heavy, it was harder to breathe.**_

_**It was the same feelings felt when first entered the house but had almost forgotten.**_

_**Death.**_

_**It was everywhere.**_

_**Looking down, there were now hundreds of bodies littering the main hall.**_

_**All of them sliced open.**_

_**Their hollow eyes and mutilated arms reached out to the door, all futile gestures at escape.**_

_**But there was no escape for them.**_

Index froze with a level of fear that she had never felt before. The main hall had change, transformed, twisted, mutated into something else. It was like a separate dimension altogether. If all the other previous anomalies could be described as car crashes on the highway, then this was more like a plane crash.

_**Lightning flashed, thunder roared. **_

_**Voices died, while blood was poured.**_

_**The rain might washed them forever.**_

_**But the butterflies will always remember.**_

_**Amidst the madness of the night.**_

_**Stood a girl covered in bloodstained white.**_

_**She was laughing...**_

_**Just laughing...**_

_**And laughing...**_

_**The Kusabi isn't coming...**_

Index remembered that girl, she had saw her outside the Kurosawa house. The spot where she was standing now was where Index had found the glowing fluorite crystal.

_**...The Kusabi is HERE.**_

A sudden wave of cold mist rose from the floor and congregated in front of the mad girl, it slowly climbed higher and higher till it reaches the ceiling. The mist then begins to thicken, forming a shape of a man, or rather a humanoid since that thing could no longer be called a 'man'. Similar to the other ghosts in this mansion, his body was horribly slashed and was being tied with magic talismans and a sacred braided rice straw ropes with zig-zag paper streamers... Like those being used in the Shinto religion to mark sacred spaces.

Like those being used at Misono Hill.

His face was rotten and twisted, any trace of his features or humanity was gone. He had no right arm where it should be. Looking closely, the missing was being tied to his body in the inverse direction, as if it was removed then tied back together again.

_**{The Kusabi is here...}**_

This was unlike anything she had felt before. It was far more powerful than the mere memories of dead people. It was bound to the fabric of this twisted dimension itself, intertwine with powerful ancient magic. Index had only heard theories but they were never proven. A magician becoming apart of the very spell he created, throwing away his mortal body, controlling it through sheer life force.

The camera was useless against something like this, both 'Spell Intercept' and 'Shareall Fear' could not affect what isn't controlled by an actual human mind anymore.

There was nothing she could do.

She wanted to run, but her legs wouldn't move.

She wanted to look away, but her eyes wouldn't close.

The Kusabi might had been human once, but it's not any more.

It was now something more primal.

It had become Death.

_**And slowly, the Kusabi drifted towards her with outstretched hands...**_

There was nothing she could do, she was going to die. In the midst of her final hour, only a single thought occupied her mind.

_Touma... Help me... _

Suddenly, the wooden doors behind her burst apart with explosive force.

"**DON'T DOZE OFF AT A TIME LIKE THIS!**"

In an instant, her illusion of death had been shattered.

**"SNAP THE HELL OUT OF IT YOU BOTTOMLESS PIT OF A SISTER!"**

_*pachii!*_

Touma's right fist slammed into the Kusabi like a rocket, knocking it across the room. Index couldn't believe her eyes.

There he was, the boy who never gives up no matter how insane the odds were. Who would clench his teeth and tighten his fist for anyone who ask or didn't ask for his help. Whose back would never falter or collapse against any power, who existed solely to prevent tragedies. And here in her darkest hour, even if she was in hell itself, Kamijo Touma would find a way to be there whenever she needed him.

"Tou-Touma?"

"OF COURSE IT'S ME!" The boy yelled back angrily, causing Index to wince.

"W-Why are you shouting?"

"WHY? BECAUSE I'M FREAKING PISSED OFF!"

The Kusabi recovered almost instantly, as if the punch had no effect on it. Touma fearlessly charged to greet him with another fist.

"First it was that thing in the box that nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Touma side step to his right and caught the Kusabi's hollow face with a right hook.

"Then I had to look for keys SOMEWHERE, all while being chase by the ENTIRE village! "

Kusabi countered with a blind swing of his arm.

"And if that wasn't bad enough-"

Touma ducked and returned the favor with an uppercut.

"-I was almost drowned by a flying bitch while trying to cross bridge!"

He then jumped back to avoid the monster's boney touch.

"And of all places you had to choose the creepiest one in the entire village! Do you know how worried I was?-! What if something happen had happened to you?-!"

This time it was Index's turn to get mad.

"Touma! What about you? Touma always gets into trouble, disappears without telling my anything, only to end up in the hospital afterward!"

"That was different!"

"How was it different?-!"

Touma punched it again, but still it refuses to disappear.

"I was helping people! You on the other hand can't go running off like that!"

"Why not? Does Touma also think of me as a useless freeloader?-!"

"You're not useless, Index."

_As for the freeloading part..._Touma wisely chose to remind silent on that end.

"Then why?-!" Index cried.

Touma grabbed the Kusabi's wrist with his right hand.

"Because that's not how it works."

Index opened her mouth but couldn't find the words.

"You're my responsibility, Index. I made a promise to keep you safe."

He tighten his grip.

"So don't you go dying on me! When we get out of this, I'm not going easy on you!"

Touma yanked the monster towards him only to send it flying with a hay maker using that same fist but still it had no effect on the Kusabi. Instead, the creature raised his arm towards Touma, who only had a split second to react. Suddenly, a strong gust erupt from the Kusabi, firing countless haunting wind blades at them. Toum grabbed Index with his left hand, while extending his right to be used as a shield.

"Damnit! Why isn't Imagine Breaker working?"

"Touma, it's not that it isn't working, it's just that the Kusabi is still too strong!"

"_**Kusabi**_? What's that?"

"We have to retreat! We can't fight him yet!"

"Why? Isn't he some kind of boss character? If I defeat him here, it would all end now!"

"It's not that simple, Touma! There are still things that we don't know about! There's another side to this mystery we haven't uncovered!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Please, Touma... Trust me."

Touma doesn't understand a lot of things in this world, be it magic or science or even his own powers.

"...Alright."

But he knows Index, and he trust her.

And that's enough for him.

"So what do we do now?" He asked.

The two of them waited till the attack stop. When that happen, they ran like hell to the Northeast exit that would lead them to the small garden outside. Fortunately the Kusabi was just like any other ghost, slow and stupid. The two of them didn't stop till they were up the stairs and into the study room. There, they shut the door and lean against it as they collapse to the floor in exhaustion.

A few minutes had passed before either of them spoke a word.

"Hey, Touma..."

"What?"

"I'm sorry... For making you worry like that..."

"Just... Promise me you won't disappear on me again..."

Index nodded her head.

"Touma...?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for saving me."

"...Don't mention it."

* * *

_**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**_

_**{So this is the Minakami village...}**_

_**{The Ritual that cannot be spoken about...}**_

_**{And the place that mustn't be seen...}**_

_**{If I take a picture of that place...}**_

_**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**_

* * *

_*End of the third hour*_

* * *

_Coming Soon..._

**FOURTH HOUR (Part 1) : _The Outsider_**

**Index:** "Touma and I are back together again!"

**Touma: **"Yeah, but now we have to find another way out of this mansion!"

**Index: **"That's okay Touma, we'll just ask that man over there for help!"

**Touma:** "W-Wait, what? Oi Index! _**STOP**_!"

**P.S -** The title of the song is "Oh Death" by Jen Titus. It was feature on the TV series [Supernatural] as the intro song to the Horseman of Death... Go give it a try, it's only 2 mins long!


	4. INTERMISSION: Knowing is half the Battle

_**Previously on To aru Majutsu no Index...**_

Lost in a dark forest, Touma and Index chanced upon a village and decided to stay for the night. Searching the inside of the Kurosawa Main House, Index uncovered the dark secret of a forbidden ritual practiced by the villagers. However when the spell backfired, it unleashed an unspeakable horror on all of them.

_A mysterious girl in a bloodstained kimono..._

_The powerful malevolent entity known as the [Kusabi]..._

_And the folklorist that holds the key to unlock the truth..._

Touma and Index reunited at last and together they venture further into the Kurosawa House in search of more clues that would help them solve this mystery...

But in the mean time...

* * *

**INTERMISSION: **_**Knowing is half the battle  
===================================**_

Kamijo Touma and Index Librorum Prohibitorum hit a snag- A slight set back if you will.

Before them stood a table full of Japanese dolls, arranged in the style of the Japanese Imperial Court. Only by placing in their proper locations will it undo the locking mechanism.

Index being Index, seem to enjoy the prospect of a good puzzle challenge.

Touma on the other hand doesn't care much for them at all. It just seem so illogical and inefficient for people to hide their valuables behind complex puzzles that require you to run around the house looking for keys to get keys, to unlock the keys require to then openthe actual safe. This applies to seal doors and secret passages as well. Why do the video games he play still insist on these cliché elements was beyond him, but he suppose games are meant to be fun and not entirely realistic.

To encounter these things in real life however is just plain annoying and would ruin the momentum of any horror movie, book, or game.

_"Anytime now would be great Index!"_

Of course it doesn't help change his perspective when there's a crazy ghost lady trying to choke him with her bare white hands.

"Just a bit more... I think I'm close..."

"Well get closer!"

"Touma, I could either do this fast, or I could do this right, which do you want?"

"Grrah!"

It seems that the Woman in the Box that Touma thought he had defeated in the Osaka house, somehow came back and tracked him down to this place. Because Index was busy with the puzzle, it falls to Touma to hold back the crazy bitch till she's done.

_**{I don't want to kill anymore...}**_

The woman sobs and whims as she so subtly attempts to kill him, again.

_I don't want you to either, _Touma thought to himself.

* * *

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_Munakata and his teacher came to the village today. He said he was worried_  
_about Itsuki and come to help. But I can't tell outsiders about the village._  
_Itsuki's locked up in the storehouse. I doubt he'll be allowed to talk with_  
_an outsider._

**Yae**

_Mr. Makabe made a picture of us with his picture box. My face looked strange,_  
_but it was interesting to see. He's probably going to be X X, because our_  
_cleansing isn't finished yet._  
_Before that happens, we have to help him escape. If I can become one with you_  
_Yae, I'll be happy. That's the only thing that matters to me._

**Sae**

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

* * *

Along with the [**Butterfly Key**], solving the Doll puzzle also revealed an old diary with a butterfly shape pattern in crimson colour on the cover of it. Within the pages are the words written by two separate girls, each with their own individual entries, but they both talked about outsiders coming into the village.

Both Touma and Index instantly recognized their names.

"I came across the name '_Itsuki_' before in this house. He has a twin brother named '_Mutsuki_'. They were friends with another boy named '_Munakata_', who went looking for them..." Said Index.

"There's a white haired boy that I've saw in the village. His name is '_Tachibana Itsuki'_, he was the one who told me how to find you... I first saw him at the back of a large house. He seem to be locked up in a storehouse cell. He was more desperate about getting me to leave than himself... And he mentioned something about a ritual in the Ceremonial Master's house."

"I doubt the name was just a coincidence... As for the ritual, he must be referring to the [**Crimson Sacrifice**]."

Realizing at this point Touma needed to be brought up to date, Index decided to take everything from the top.

"Every few years this village would perform a secret ritual known as the [**Crimson Sacrifice**]. The reason for this spell is to purify the ground of evil."

"What kind of evil?" Touma asked with a serious look.

"I wasn't able to find any more information on that. Simply put, the Villagers blame it for all the bad signs they were experiencing, like earthquakes and periods of droughts. Not an uncommon thing for a small, secluded village far away from any contact with the outside world."

He nodded, people in the past do not have any understanding of tectonic plate movements and would easy chalk down natural disasters as 'divine' acts.

"Now, should they fail to keep the 'Evil' in check, the disaster known as the [**Repentance**] would occur, _it is said that the sky would go dark, and the dead would pour out from the gates of hell._"

Touma raised a brow.

"Well that certainly fits our current predicament, but the '_gates of hell'_?"

"It's probably just an exaggeration, what else would you call the place where the dead comes from? Anyway, there are other rituals that the villagers had also perform in order to control this 'Evil', minor prayers and offerings, but the problem is this forbidden ritual or [**Crimson Sacrifice]**. Generally speaking, Spells that involve taking lives are a double edge sword; Yes they are extremely powerful and can be used to invoke divine beings, but if performed wrongly, like if said divine being were to be angered, it would lead to terrible consequences."

"Right, modern pop culture made that quite clear." Touma injected. "We know that the ritual involve sacrificing Twins. And after that, they built statues of them around the village. Strangely, each of those [**Twin Deity Statues**] have one of their faces removed, and in some cases, the whole head was missing. I'm not the only one who noticed it, our missing surveyor, Masumi Makimura also wrote about it in his notebook."

Touma took out the Surveyor's notes that he had picked up when fighting the ghostly villagers.

"Interesting..."

He passed it over to Index who promptly flipped through them, as she was going through them Touma suddenly recalled something.

"By the way Index, what was that thing I fought in the Great hall? I recall you mentioning something about a [**Kusabi**]?" Touma questioned her.

"Yes, as I was searching the house, I came across a lot of reference to this [**Kusabi**] creature. There were strong indications that it was responsible for massacring the entire household. Which would explain why all the other Spirits in the house were terrified of it..."

"A ghost... That the other ghosts were afraid of? Maybe this [**Kusabi**] is the 'Evil' that the Villagers were trying to pacify?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't believe it to be the case. The texts describing the effects of the 'Evil' seem to suggest a natural contamination of magic source, like a powerful holy or cursed object interfering with the flow of natural energy of the land. A simple analogy is when you throw a big, dirty rock into the path of a stream, forcing it to change direction but at the same time polluting the water. The [**Kusabi**] however, is the result of turning a human being into a magical construct. This is something far more powerful then simply using lifeforce as a source; This is a human whose very existence has become a magic spell."

"Is it the Crimson Sacrifice? Was he one of those twins..."

"Your guess is as good as mine Touma..." Index shook her head.

"Then why did you say that I couldn't defeat it yet? I'm not sure of the details, but if that thing was made of magic, then my right hand should be able to defeat it."

Index paused for a moment to gather her thoughts.

"A [**Death Echo**] is like a broken record being forced to repeat itself over and over, while there are certain corruptions in the information, the major details remain the same. What we know so far was that the Villagers tried to perform the Crimson Sacrifice but failed, which cause the [Repentance] that we see now. But there are more to this story than just the historical facts, there is something else we need to consider."

"What's that?"

"_**People**_, Touma. The people involved with this incident, we cannot just ignore their stories. I'm sure you've met the memories of people who weren't corrupted and violent, who were pointing you in the direction to proceed the story?"

Indeed, if it wasn't for Itsuki, he wouldn't had found Index.

"But what has this got to do with the [**Kusabi**]?"

"As I've said, the [**Death Echo**] is a broken record, data have been corrupted but are still found more or less intact in their proper location. After a certain point in the story, the [**Kusabi**] becomes the powerful, invincible force that we had just saw. Even if you were to touch it with your right hand, the [**Death Echo**] effects would just bring it back again. Which means we need to go back into the story, back to the moment-"

"-When he wasn't in 'god-mode' yet." Touma answered like a student that had figured out what the teacher has been saying. "And at the same time, we can find and destroy the source of the [Death Echo] to stop it from regenerating."

"Exactly." Index nodded her head in agreement. "And to do that we need to replay the events of that happened on the faithful day when the [**Repentance**] occurred."

"So what's our next step?" Touma asked.

Index took out a pen from Miyako's bag and drew on a rough piece of paper from her notebook and began scribing on it.

"I have a hunch; The diary which we just found belonged to two girls named '_Yae_' and '_Sae_'. This was not the first time I've heard of them. While exploring the house, I've heard their names being mentioned by the various memories of the house. I suspect they were next twins to be used for the [**Crimson Sacrifice**], and for unknown reasons it was their ritual that had failed, causing the [**Repentance**]. If we can find out why it failed..."

"...We can figure a way to put an end to this. But how should we start?"

To answer that, Index raised up the [**Butterfly key**] that they had just received from solving the dolls' puzzle.

"By following the story of course."

* * *

_***To be continue...***_


	5. THE FOURTH HOUR Part 1: The Outsider

_**The story so far...**_

Lost in a dark forest, Touma and Index chanced upon a village and decided to stay for the night. Index and Touma uncovered the dark secret of a forbidden ritual involving the sacrifice of twins to protect the village from a great Evil responsible for the Disaster that now plague the village.

_The twins Yae and Sae who will be the next sacrifice for the ritual..._

_The Gates of Hell opened the way for the Dead to return..._

_And the folklorist that with reveal the darkest of truth..._

Touma and Index must now follow the story played out by the [Death Echo] in order to go back to the beginning.

But not all stories are what you expected them to be...

* * *

_**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**_

_**{So this is the Minakami Village...}**_

_**{The Ritual that cannot be spoken about...}**_

_**{And the place that mustn't be seen...}**_

_**{Why am I trapped here...?}**_

_**{A ritual to sacrifice Outsiders... Could it be...?}**_

_**{If I take a picture of that place...}**_

_**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**_

* * *

**THE FOURTH HOUR (Part 1): The Outsider  
======================================**

The sound of the lock clicked open.

Index recalled where she had seen the symbol of the 'Butterfly' marked on the key, and had the both of them backtracked all the way back to the entrance of the main door to the Kurosawa House.

"Did I ever mention how much I hate puzzles that make you backtrack the entire way?" Touma reminded her with an annoyed face.

Thankfully the [**Kusabi**] was no where to be found, but they had some close encounters with [Mr. and Mrs. Limbo] with the latter attempting a cheap scare move on Touma. Needless to say the highschool boy proceed to beating the crap out of them which yielded some surprising reward. They've uncovered yet another book written by the Folklorist. He wrote about two twin girls who warned him to escape from the side door of the house before the [**Hidden Ceremony**] begin, and had given him a map as well.

Touma was briefly reminded about his talk with Itsuki, and how he seem very desperate to get Touma to leave the village because of the Ritual.

Index advised that they should keep this in mind should they need to leave this building.

As the door opened, the two of them find themselves in some kind of dirty, dusty storage room. It was filled with wooden boxes, various urns and heavy cloths. In the corner of the room lay an old grandfather's clock, the glass cover of the clock is broken and shards lie scattered around it. Right in front of them was a flight of stairs leading up to a second level.

There was nothing particular about this level either, except for the partition screens that separate the rooms into six segments. Touma went further back to check some drawers while Index notice a part of the floor is broken, and one can see down to the floor below. There seems to be something caught in a spider web strung across the hole.

"Maybe it would come loose if I dropped something onto it-"

It was only then did Index realize there was someone looking at her.

It was a little boy.

A little ghostly boy holding a red ball.

He reached out with both hands as if offering Index his toy.

"Can I... borrow it?" She asked cautiously.

The boy nodded politely.

Index carefully took that ball and dropped it down the hole. It looks as if the object that was caught dropped with it to the floor below.

"Thank you."

The boy simply smiled and faded away.

With impeccable timing, Touma returned with yet another old piece of paper in his hand.

"_You're not gonna believe this."_

"_You're not gonna believe this."_

* * *

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

_When the twins were born, I was miserable knowing that they were doomed. _

_They were raised freely, without pain or sadness. They say the pain of the -**XX-** never stops._

_The elder sister must kill the younger in the Crimson Sacrifice Ritual._

_It's a cruel, horrible fate._

_**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**_

* * *

"This note was written by the Ceremonial Master, inside it he talked about Sae and Yae." Touma explained as Index went back downstairs to pick up the fallen object- A wooden key with a [**Diamond link design**] carved onto it. "It looks like the Crimson Sacrifice involves the death of one of the twins, specifically the younger one."

"Yes, but it doesn't say how they were to be sacrificed. The means of killing is also an important, if not the most important aspect of a Sacrifice. Take for example the Celtic druids, the method of sacrifice would be used to invoke different gods. If the victim was drowned, it was to appease _**Teutates**_, the tribal protector. If he was hanged, then the ritual was for _**Esus**_. And victims who were burned alive were offered to _**Taranis**_, the God of Thunder."

Index then showed him what she had picked up.

"Another key?" Touma lamented.

The sudden sound of wood creaking and made the two of them jump. Behind them was a small pale child shyly peeking around a door only to hide away when the two of them spotted it.

"Well, that was awkwardly convenient... Wait Index! Are you sure we should follow it?-!"

The Nun already had one hand on the door.

"Of course, we have to go where the story leads us."

"What if it's a trap?"

"Touma, this entire village is pretty much one giant death trap already."

"Point taken, but I still don't like traps... Both the phenomenon and the life choice that one makes."

Behind the door was a long hallway separated by cloth covers much like the ones from before. As the two of them make their way down the passage, the spirit of the little girl continuously phased in and out of existence right before their eyes leading them deeper in. Touma was concerned at how well he's been accepting all this; it wasn't too long ago that he brushed aside the thought of spirits and ghosts, and now he's causally following a little ghost girl into what certainly was another supernatural ambush.

Index commented on that as well.

"I guess maybe Touma's brain work differently than other people. It's not uncommon for people to break down when the logic of their world has been thrown out of the window and kicked to a curb and what was once impossible has become the norm. This is the second time it has happened to you, all things considered, you have been taking this quite well. I guess being a single minded idiot has it's benefits. "

"...You're enjoying yourself way too much."

Index looked offended.

"Touma, are you suggesting that I'm taking pleasure in our current predicament? Just because this is the first time in a long while that the two of us spent time altogether, and that I'm participating in an active role instead of being left out, nor the fact that I'm able to help you doesn't mean that I'm happy about it..."The girl suddenly became quieter. _"And Touma was always there to rescue me... So maybe I thought that this time, if you get into trouble... I could save you instead..."_

Looking her like that, Touma couldn't help but sigh and smile.

"When was I ever not in trouble? I guess you'll be my partner this time."

Index eyes widened before beaming happily.

"Of course! You can count on me!"

At the end of the hallway was a door with a large padlock attached to it. Using the key she had just acquired, Index unlocked it and open the door. The room was an old warehouse with many dusty furniture scattered all over the place. There's a layer of dust on the ashes in the coal brazier- It hasn't been used for a long time.

_**{The Ritual that cannot be spoken about...}**_

A dark haunting voice came from behind the cover. Looking around the corner revealed a large menacing prison cell. Behind it was the ghost of an adult man, the room was big enough to contain shelves of old looking books, as well as a study desk in the corner where he stood. A formidable iron lock holds the door were two keyholes on this one.

Great.

"I had seen this man before!" Index exclaimed. "He was in the study room.. He thought I was Munakata... Wait, Touma I think I know who this is!"

_**{Why am I trapped here...? }**_

_**{A ritual to sacrifice Outsiders...} **_

_**{Could it be...?}**_

* * *

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

_Long ago, a visitor to a mountain village become a ceremonial sacrifice. _

_When the Veiled Priests captured me, they said things like "Outsider" and "Kusabi"... What exactly is the nature of the Hidden Ceremony?_

_The key the twin girls gave me must be for the side door of the house. _

_They key for the cell must be in another house. _

_According to the map, the key is hidden in a cave under the Osaka house. _

_Maybe this is the cellar in the passageway that I read about..._

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

* * *

Those were the words written by the imprisoned man, whose notes on the study desk were the only thing that Touma could reach from this side of the cell.

"A folklorist?" Touma asked.

Index took out the [**Butterfly Diary**] belonging to Yae and Sae.

"Yes, he was Munakata's teacher and the one who had been writing about the Crimson Sacrifice Ritual. I've seen him before in the study room looking for Munakata. And look here," Index took out the other notes belonging to him. "He was an outsider like us, both him and his student came to this village to learn about the Ritual."

"And for some reason, he become their prisoner." Touma stare back at the Folklorist. "Itsuki had warned me that outsiders weren't safe, I guess that's why... But it looks like the girls were trying to help him escape; it says right here that there's some kind of side door out of this house- Bloody hell, they even drew him a map."

Touma passed it over for Index to see.

"There an underground cellar connected from this warehouse- you can see a passageway leading to the outside of the house."

She closed the book.

"Shall we go take a look?"

"Why? It's probably just another locked door..."

* * *

Dark, damp, dirty and dusty.

That's how Touma would describe the underground cellar, not that he had been expecting anything else from this haunted house anymore, but it would be nice to be wrong on that account just this once. As they descend down the stone steps, the boy notice a large black well in the center of the place. Looking down the square mouth gap of the old well, it was too dark inside to see the bottom.

_"You know, I saw this in a movie once... 'In seven days...'"_

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing." Touma quickly replied.

Index didn't understand, but decided not to pursuit the matter.

There wasn't much to explore in this room. At the opposite end of the stairs which they came from was a solid wooden door. Standing close, they can feel cold wind coming in through the cracks around the door.

"It must lead outside..." Index deduced.

"Hah! See? It's locked!"

The lock on the door has a [**Hammer design**] on it.

"We're not getting through here, lets head back and-" Index froze.

"-design this place clearly have an obsession with keys." Touma notice the girl was shaking. "Index? What's wrong- _Oh you got to be kidding_..."

He noticed the well in the middle of the room.

_**The familiar creaking sound, like those of a box opening...**_

_**Soon replaced by hollow whispers and groans...**_

_**A hand, pale gray from death, grasp onto the edge of the well...**_

_**With great effort, the body of a woman emerge from it...**_

_**Her long black hair cloaks her face...**_

_**She collapsed onto the floor, unmoving...**_

_**Then she began climbing to her feet, staggering...**_

_**As she turn to face them-**_

_pacchii!_

Touma pound his fist right into her face. The impact might have crushed her nose or cheek as the [woman in the box] does a backward dive right back into the hole she crawled out from. It was a long time before they heard the splash.

"...Down bitch."

* * *

Back in the warehouse.

"We hit a dead end. So what now Index?"

The girl was deep in thought. They couldn't leave the house yet... Which means that they **shouldn't **leave the house yet. There's something they need to do first... There are still pieces to be found here, and their only clue is...

"The Folklorist." She came to that conclusion.

"What?"

"He probably knows a lot more about the Crimson Sacrifices, he wrote those books after all! The events of this story led us to him, which means he is the next piece of the puzzle!"

"What are you getting at? Even if he knows what's going on, I how do we get him to talk? Ever since we returned from the cellar, that guy has been mumbling non-stop about being trap-"

"That's it Touma!" Index exclaimed loudly.

"W-What?"

"We need to free him, that's how we'll progress the story! Both Yae and Sae were trying to save him, that means we should do the same!" Index pointed at the lock on the prison. "We'll need to find two keys to open that door... The Japanese characters written on the keyholes are [**Light**] and [**Shadow**]."

"So that means we should look for those specific keys... By how should we start?"

Index took out the Camera Obscura and aim it towards the Folklorist.

"With a picture."

* * *

_**To be continued...**_


	6. THE FOURTH HOUR Part 2: Light and Shadow

_*The Fourth Hour Continues*_

* * *

_**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**_

_**{If there is no sacrifice, we must repent with a Kusabi...}**_

_**{Lock up the man who came to find out about the ritual.}**_

_**{Let us prepare to make the Kusabi...} **_

_**{I'll hold on to this key...}**_

_**{So that escape is impossible.}**_

_**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**_

* * *

**The Fourth Hour (Part 2) : Light and Shadow  
=====================================**

The picture Index took of the Folklorist with the Camera Obscure had brought them to a extravagantly designed double door. At first glance neither of them recognize the image, but then Touma pointed out the black cloth that hangs from the ceiling and realized that this was a picture of the hallway from which they've came.

"It's odd, you would think we'll notice something like this as we were walking by- _**Woah crap**_!"

At around midpoint they were startled by the sudden appearance of another ghost; this one was wearing a ceremonial robe with a veil covering his face and was presumed to be a priest of some sort. But what was even more astounding was the double door that had materialized on a section of the wall. The ghostly Priest disappeared into the doors, at the same time a '_click_' was heard similar to that of a lock being opened.

Index shot a look at Touma signaling that she was ready. Touma nodded as he approached the double door.

In one swift motion, he gave it a might kick and blasted them open.

_**{Accept your fate and become the Sacrifice, Yae...}**_

"Careful Touma, this one is different!" Index warned him.

With that in mind, Touma dived headlong into the fight. His opponent was the [**Veiled Priest**] from before. The hostile spirit raised his staff and swung it downwards like a golf club which Touma easily dodged, he then spur it around and goes for Touma in a sideways attack, aiming for his exposed body. The boy bends down and duck the attack, the wind and the staff whooshed passed over his head, he then moves to grab the weapon with his left hand and with a nasty right hook, slam his other fist into it's gut. The Veiled Priest bends forward from the impact and fell to the ground, as Touma was about to hammer his head like a nail with his heel when the spirit suddenly vanished.

"!"

"Touma over there!" Index was indicating something on the other side of the room but it was outside of his left vision. Instinctively, he raised his right hand in front of him as a shield.

_Pacchii!_

Imagine Breaker negated something, Touma wasn't sure what it was. The Veiled Priest begun to summon some white-misty-skull shaped wisp and directed them at him. With out hesitation Touma caught them with his Right hand, destroying them instantly. But just before he could counter attack, the Veiled Priest disappeared again.

"!"

"Index keep an eye out for- INDEX!" Touma leaped towards the girl, which using momentum to duck. He clings onto Index's waist with both hands, and send her to the ground in one go.

**BAM!**

A split second later the metal staff impacted the spot where the girl was just standing.

"That was too close, you okay?" Touma sighed in relief.

Index nodded shyly.

Once again the Veiled Priest teleported away.

"This is getting annoying," Touma grumbled. "Is there anyway to stop him from doing that?"

"We should face each other's backs to the other... He's gonna start throwing that attack at instead of risking a close quarter counter by your Imagine Breaker."

"In that case, leave defense to me!" Touma grinned.

"Okay!" Index nodded.

This was one of the few times that they ever fought back to back.

Index thought it was a nice change.

The Veiled Priest appeared for the third time, just like she predicted, he begins conjuring another spell.

"NOW!"

Touma raised his right hand to negate the attack.

Before the Ghost had the chance to teleport, Index took it's picture with the Camera, dealing both damage as well as stunning him long enough for Touma to finish it off.

"AAARGGH!"

_pacchii!_

His fist went through the Veiled Priest. He felt something in his hand which turned out to be a single glowing red crystal.

_**{The Destiny of the Sacrifice, the destiny...}**_

The hostile spirit eventually faded out of existence. Under the pressure of his hand, the glowing red crystal shattered to reveal the memories of it's former owner.

* * *

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

_{The Ritual has failed.}_

_{Why did Yae run?}_

_{Why did she not come back!}_

_{If she had...}_

_{It will not work without twins...}_

_{Miss Sae...}_

_{The Repentance...}_

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

* * *

After the adrenaline rush of the fight has died Touma was able to properly take in the surrounding sights. The room they were standing in was quite large and beautifully designed, there was a massive Altar that resided in the center with candles lite, the major color that dominated the room was a deep red, or should it be called '_crimson_' given the fascination of that particular shade that the villagers had? No matter, it was as good as any place to start looking for clues that could have them find the two keys they need to unlock the Folklorist's cell. Touma was wary of this plan, base on his encounter with Itsuki, if the memories of this village wanted to help them, they would have plain said so. Instead the Folklorist remained silence and doesn't seem to respond to anything so it doesn't make sense what freeing him would accomplished.

Aside from the usual objects of worship, there's an incense burner filled with ashes on the shelf and a book was left on the Altar table, the title indicates that they were the private notes of the Ceremonial Master to the Ritual. There were several missing pages but the remaining texts told a chilling story, giving them outsiders an inside look into the mindset of the people of this village, it discussed the increasing strength of the malice of '_something_'- the words were blacked out making it impossible to read.

* * *

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

_The Malice coming from the **-XXXX-** is getting stronger. I've searched, and there is no record of it getting this strong in the past. _

_Recently, poor harvests and deaths have begun to increase. The time of repentance for Tachibana's failure to perform the ritual is drawing near._

_Half of the Mourners were driven mad by the Malice and jumped into the **-XXXX-** . _

_We must prepare more Mourners, we'll use the sinners. _

_If we don't do something, the __**-XXXX-**_ _will overflow in a few years._

_I must use my daughters in the ritual. Sae and Yae must be cleansed. _

_For the village!_

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

* * *

"So Sae and Yae were his own daughters?" Touma groaned, he felt like he had just watched an episode of a day-time soap opera series, it revealed more secrets but at the same time, open up a myriad of questions. The Ceremonial Master was obviously referring to the magic of whatever was haunting this place when he said 'malice', but why hide the name of it? And what's this about Tachibana's Failure?

And just what the hell is a _'Mourner'_?

"Wait Touma, there's more..."

It seems that the twins had escaped.

* * *

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

_Sae and Yae ran away with that boy, a Remaining. _

_The Kusabi calmed the **-XXXX-** a little, but it is still rumbling. _

_If the twins aren't brought back, the village will be swallowed by the **-XXXX-**. _

_They are my daughters, I must find them._

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

* * *

"Well, at least they got away safely, but what's going to happen to the Folklorist?" Touma pondered.

"I guess that's why we have to free him..." Index answered but noticed Touma was bothered by something. "Touma?"

"Making his daughters kill each other to satisfy some ritual..." Touma felt something boiling in his gut. "Damnit, no parent should have to make that kind of decision!"

"He must have been torn up, between his daughters and the lives of everyone in the village, it wasn't even a choice..." Index tried to console him.

"I know I know! But... It's just... Too sad..."

_He was always like this... _Index thought to herself as she hugged him from behind.

"Touma, not everyone will get their happy ending... Not every story has a hero that can make it alright..."

The boy sighed, what's done is done; Nothing he does now could ever stop the [**Repentance**] and save those people.

_But still... Is it really okay?_

"Yeah... I'm alright now Index, thanks... Let's just focus on finding those keys." Touma smiled weakly.

On the left side of the room were two sets of stairs, one leading to the upper platform while the other goes downstairs. They first took the one going up and was greeted by another altar- A smaller one this time, with yet another book.

* * *

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

_The time of the ritual is coming soon. _

_Itsuki and Mutsuki's ritual didn't work, and this year it's our turn. I'm leaving the village with you. _

_Itsuki will help us escape, and we'll be together forever, like I promised._

_**Yae**_

_The truth is, I don't want to run._

_But as long as I can be with you, I'll follow you anywhere. _

_Just don't leave me here all alone._

_**Sae**_

_**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**_

* * *

"Isn't it weird that we find both the Father's and Daughters' diaries in the same room?" Touma asked wryly.

"Touma... Aren't you getting a bit excited reading girls' diary?" The girl interrogated him with accusing eyes.

"W-What? Where did that come from?"

"You were really concern with Yae and Sae just now..." She continues to glare daggers at him.

"I wouldn't call it concern just... W-Wait, Index why are you looking at me like that! Calm down!"

"GAH! Touma only gets motivated when there's girls involved!"

"You're overreacti-!"

Without realizing it, Touma stepped onto one of the pattern on the floor and felt it sink down in a little. Then the sound of of mechanism unlocking caught their attention, as they looked carefully at the wall behind them they noticed a portion of it was of a different shade.

"... Secret door?" Touma asked.

"Probably... Try lifting your foot." Index suggested.

The moment they boy remove the pressure on the step the mechanical sound was heard again. Index tried nudging the portion of wall but found it unmovable.

"Now step on it again."

The door unlocked.

Index decided to investigate while Touma kept his foot on the switch- a plan which he agreed reluctantly. She push the door open and entered cautiously; the low height of the hidden passage seems hint that it was meant for smaller frame individuals like children rather than grown adults, this theory was further supported by another [**Butterfly Diary**] of Yae and Sae lying on the floor in front of her. No sooner after she picked it up the surrounding temperature dropped drastically causing her to skip a heartbeat and reach for the Camera Obscura. One can look down on the floor below through the window and get the feeling that many people must have once prayed in this room. In front of her was a lattice and behind it was a pale white man in ceremonial outfit... The Spirit didn't seem to notice her and continued to talk.

_**{Lock up the man who came to find out about the ritual.} **_

_**{Let us prepare to make the Kusabi... }**_

_**{I'll hold on to this key. }**_

_**{So that escape is impossible...}**_

Using the camera, Index took a picture of the man and the resulting photo revealed a familiar door. The spirit of the white man soon vanished and Index heard something fall behind the lattice, but there's nothing she could do about it right now so she left the passage and returned to Touma to read the diary.

* * *

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

_I was wrong. It's just like Itsuki said. Munakata's teacher is going to be a __**-XXXX-**__! _

_This has to stop! People like Mutsuki shouldn't have to die. I have to do something. A Veiled Priest took one of the cell keys to the rope temple._

_**Yae**_

_It seems father plans to make that man a __**-XXXX-**__. Even though he's Munakata's teacher! _

_I know one cell key is hidden in father's bookshelves. _

_To keep the __**-XXXX-**_ _appeased, there's only one thing to do. _

_If we perform the Crimson Sacrifice, perhaps people won't suffer like this..._

_**Sae**_

_**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**_

* * *

"That's kinda creepy if you look back at these diaries; Yae was the one most reluctant about the ritual, both the Crimson Sacrifice and whatever they're about to do to the Folklorist... But Sae on the other hand... She actually seem keen on the idea... I'm getting some really bad vibe from this girl." Touma commented. "So Yae and Sae had to perform the ritual because Itsuki and Mutsuki's ritual failed... That's the Tachibana Failure that the Ceremony Master was talking about, but instead of going through with the Ritual, the girls wanted to escape the village with the help of Itsuki, the _'remaining'_."

"One thing at a time Touma," Index pointed out a specific line in the diary. "Yae and Sae conveniently wrote out the location of the two keys that we need to free the Folklorist. The first one is in the Ceremony Master's room, Sae mention bookshelves so that's something to work on. "

"Yeah, but do you have any idea where to find this room?"

Waving the picture she took of the Speaking Man, Index smiled.

"Does this look familiar?"

Indeed it does.

* * *

"_Fuko da_..."

"So the first key was just inches away from where I was?" Touma lamented as they left the Family Altar Room to return to the storage room where the ghost child handed Index the red ball.

It was also where Touma first found the Ceremony Master's note... Meaning he was no more than a hop, skip and jump away from the key.

"Touma, Touma. I hardly get the chance to say this to you... USELESS!"

"HEY! That was uncalled for!"

At the entrance to the room, there stands a demonic-looking statue that greeted all those who entered the room. The table at the far end was lit faintly by the paper-shade lamp, there's some red-stained writing paper. Beneath the table, there's a Japanese girl doll looking this way. There's a row of Buddha statues here. There were several other antiques statues and furniture in the room including a rather creepy looking mask hung on the wall.

"Must be a pleasant fellow." Touma remarked sarcastically at the owner's sense of taste.

But the most unique object was the large bookshelves in the center of the room. Rather than a bookshelves, it seem to serve the purpose of a pillar while the books that covered it's circular design more of a decoration. The candlelight illuminates the space inside the bookcases.

One would get a sense of both the protectors of village history and the researching folklorist.

"Touma, over here."

In the middle of the books was a Buddha statue hidden in the shelves. It held a tiny key in its hand. There are some empty bookshelves over the Buddha statue. Writing was inscribed into the wood. _"Engave the crimson butterfly to seal up __**-XXXX-**__. If there is no sacrifice, repent with a Kusabi."_

"What does it mean?" Touma asked.

"...It's a puzzle, one that I've seen before." Index points to the empty spaces. "See those slots? By putting the books in the correct order it would trigger a mechanism and release the key."

"Why not just place random books?"

"There must be something special and unique about each books that helps the machine identify if the right book is being place, like the shape, or the weight, or maybe even a symbol on carved into the spine."

"Okay, so how do we know which book to place?"

Index puffed her chest out.

"Are you forgetting about me? I'm the keeper of the 103 000 magical grimoires. A small bookshelf like this is nothing to me!"

...It took her twenty minutes.

"Index... I don't get to say this often... But You SUCK!"

Later, it took Touma another three minutes before he finally got her off his head and that could continue with their mission.

The book that Index identified as the '_right_' ones contain more information about the Ritual.

* * *

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

**Crimson Wing  
==========**

_Shrine Maidens of the past and future, made in Crimson Butterflies, return from the -XXXX-, as guardians of the village. _

_Those that become butterflies ascend to heaven, parting the skies above, inviting the light upon us._

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

**Taboo  
====**

_The gate to hell is called the -**XXXX**-._

_Gaze not upon the -**XXXX**-._

_Eyes that glimpse the -**XXXX**- will be blinded by the -**XXXX**-._

_Speak not of the -**XXXX**-._

_The mouth which utters -**XXXX**- will be made speechless by the -**XXXX**-._

_Listen not to the -**XXXX**-._

_Those who heed the -**XXXX**- are turned heartless by the -**XXXX**-._

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

**Twin  
=====**

_If the ritual is not performed the -**XXXX**- will open. Inhuman wretches shall burst_

_fourth from the -**XXXX**-, villagers will be engulfed by the -**XXXX**-, and the sky will be_

_plunged into darkness. The darkness will spread over the land for generations,_

_awaking the -**XXXX**-._

_We must think of this disaster as a Repentance for our failure to fulfill our_

_duty to the -**XXXX**-, which grants us life. We must accept that this is the reason_

_for our existence._

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

**Disaster  
======**

_If the ritual is not performed the -**XXXX**- will open._

_Inhuman wretches shall burst fourth from the -**XXXX**-, villagers will be engulfed by the -**XXXX**-, and the sky will be plunged into darkness._

_The darkness will spread over the land for generations, awaking the -**XXXX**-._

_We must think of this disaster as a Repentance for our failure to fulfill our duty to the -**XXXX**-, which grants us life._

_We must accept that this is the reason for our existence._

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

**Ritual  
======**

_If the -__**XXXX**__- rumbles on a year without the ceremony, a Kusabi is needed._

_A Kusabi is an outsider, made into a Buddha and offered to the -**XXXX**-._

_The more they suffer, the greater the calming of the -**XXXX**-._

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

* * *

"And outsider... Oh shit...The Folklorist! He's the Kusabi!" Touma exclaimed at the sudden revelations. "That means if we can save him, maybe we could-"

"No Touma, the [Kusabi] was just a temporary fix like a band aid," Index explained. "Even if we stopped it the [Repentance] would still happen... But what's more troubling is why did this Kusabi became beserk and killed everyone?"

"I think being made into a sacrifice can make anyone a little grumpy, Index."

Something unlock behind the bookshelves and a key fell from the statue's hand.

It was the [**Light Key**].

"One more to go..." Touma picked it up and place it safely in his pocket. "Any idea where we could find the other one?"

"The Diary said that the Veiled Priest took one to a place called the [**Rope Temple**]." Index pulled out the Kurosawa House Map that picked up from the Folklorist. "I don't see anything that looks like a temple from here..."

"Wait Index," Touma points to what looks like a flight of stairs. "This room next to it, what is it?"

A quick calculation later, Index confirmed it to be the Family Altar room that they came from.

"I remember there was another flight of stairs leading to downwards. What are the odds that the Altar room would lead to a temple?"

"I don't know... It's a long shot but that's all we got." Index returned the map to her bag. "Let's check it out."

Back in the Family Altar room, Touma and Index took the stairs to the bottom.

"According to the map, this passageway seem to run completely beneath the Mansion."

It was rather straight forward, no other doors or fork in the road, just a single dark path. At the end of it was yet another flight of stairs leading up. As the two of them exited the wooden door, they found themselves inexplicably outside. It was another garden or sort surrounded by two connecting sheltered corridors, not noticing any obvious differences, Touma randomly picked one. As they walked along the pathway they eventually came to a locked door.

Just as Touma was about to turn around, he noticed a familiar pattern on the floor. As he stepped on it, he felt it sink down in a little.

"It's the same type of switch like before. Index, go try the door."

No good, it was still locked.

"There's a similar pattern in the hallway on the other side." Index pointed to the other walkway. "Wait here, Touma."

"Be careful." Said Touma as she ran off.

A few moments later he could see her on the other side when she stepped onto the floor plate the mechanism clicked and the door unlocked itself. Together, they walked through the door...

...And was greeted almost immediately by the startling appearance of a waiting Priest who only whispered one line before vanishing again.

_**{The twins that will become the sacrifice have returned...}**_

"Okay, that didn't sound good." Touma looked nervous.

There was something gleaming on the floor where the Priest was standing.

It was the [**Shadow Key**].

"Okay that's the second key, lets head back quickly before the folklorist becomes chopped liver..."

"Touma, there's something else here..." Index whispered with a far off look in her eyes while pointing at a double door.

Pushing her petite body against it with all her might, the doors began to buckle and open...

...Revealing a chilling scene behind them.

"I guess that's why they call it the rope temple."

Indeed, there were hundreds of ropes covering the big dark chamber, in the center of it was a massive twang of black rope suspended in mid air by several more ropes connecting to supporting pillars. Touma akin it to a wasp's nest built on the corner of a ceiling, or a spider's web used to imprison it's victims. Even without any knowledge of magic, Touma could sense that something was very, very wrong with this picture.

The young girl beside him was shaking uncontrollably, Touma grabbed her hand and held it tight, a small gesture to assure her that's she's safe. Index never spoke a word the entire time, only stood very close to Touma. At the Altar in front of mass of ropes was a book written by the Ceremony Master. There was another door on the opposite end of the room, but seeing as how Index was already deeply disturbed by this place, Touma decided against anymore exploring and so they quickly grabbed the book and left.

* * *

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

_Yae is not coming back. Did she really leave Sae behind? Did she survive the forest? _

_If Sae is cleansed and acts as Shrine Maiden alone, the -__**XXXX**__- might be appeased. _

_The records do not mention any ritual with a single Shrine Maiden, but I will do it. _

_I have to try._

_Yae, why did you run?_

_Why won't you come back?_

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

* * *

"I think I've got an idea or two why she wouldn't want to stay..." Touma rolled his eyes. "But what happened to Sae? Why didn't she leave as well?"

As they slowly leave the Rope Temple, Index gradually regain her color.

"Touma... That place was a ritual site..." She whispered.

"A ritual site for what? The Crimson Sacrifice?"

The sister shook her head.

"I don't know, but it was horrible, from what I could tell, the caster's intention was to inflict maximum punishment both physically, mentally, and magically. Everything from the location it was built, to the interior designs, and even the lighting and smell of incense was design to torture a person... This is the sort of setup you see in on top of an Aztec sacrificial altars or deep within the old Russian Gulag or even the Celtic Wicker Man"

Touma could see how Index was obviously bothered by what she had seen and so he decided not to pursuit the matter. Right now he's only intention was to get back to the Folklorist...

… Who had just disappeared.

"Son of a bitch!"

Using the Light and Shadow key that they've gathered, the two of them opened the Folklorist's cell only to find it void of any inhabitants. All their efforts within the last hour had been for nothing.

Or so it seems, the cell was more like a make shift holding room rather than a proper jail, and judging from all the books and shelves it was originally another study room.

"Oh quiet Touma and come take a look at these." Index scolded him. "It seems that our friend had been making good use of his time while in captivity. He wrote this while imprisoned in the cell, he was able to find several important manuscripts regarding details about the secrets that the villagers were hiding."

"Wait, why aren't you angry at all?-!"

"Because I've expected this to happen, didn't you?" Index replied as matter-of-fact.

Touma refused to answer.

"Listen to this-" She began.

* * *

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

**- Hellish Abyss -**

_It is unclear how long this hole that connects our world to the underworld has_

_existed. They say that if the cover to it is opened, it will cause a terrible_

_disaster. This is the origin of the "gate to hell" folktale. As a taboo word,_

_it is often represented in other texts as "-**XXXX**-"._

_The suffering of the sacrifice is used to seal the Hellish Abyss._

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

* * *

"Those blanked words from the other writings, they were all this 'Hellish Abyss'." Index remarked.

"Hellish Abyss... That the name of _'evil' _that was haunting this place?"

"At least that's what the locals call it." Index shrugged. "And it says here that _'suffering' _is what the spell uses to seal the Abyss..."

_The Rope Temple..._

"That's just messed up." Touma groaned.

"Wait, there's more... It's about the _'mourners'_."

* * *

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

**- The Mourners -**

_They are the guardians of the Hellish Abyss, and the only ones that can get near its. _

_When the year of the ceremony comes, the Mourners sew their eye shut so they cannot glimpse the Hellish Abyss. _

_Criminals and anyone that has seen the Hellish Abyss also forced to become Mourners._

_Afterwards, they live underground, never returning to the surface. _

_What can be so bad that looking at it is forbidden?_

_~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

* * *

"This story just keeps getting more and more screwed up." Touma spoke with disgusted.

Among the books was a key with the [**Hammer design**] engraved onto it along a well drawn map of the Osaka House.

"This must be the key to the side door we've found in the underground cellar." Index placed it in her pocket. "I guess this means that we're free to leave...

Index took the lead with Touma not far behind.

"Finally I can't stand-"

* * *

_**{ARE YOU GOING TO LEAVE ME BEHIND AGAIN, DEAREST SISTER...?}**_

* * *

Touma eyes widen.

**BAM!**

Index turned around to see the large door slammed itself shut, effectively separating her from Touma who was still in the warehouse.

"TOUMA!" Index cried as she rushed to the door.

"INDEX! I'm fine! The door just suddenly locked itself!" Touma answered from the other side, he then began kicking the door with all his might but to no avail. "It won't budged!"

"Just hold on! I'll think of some way! There has to be some way!"

But they both knew that there was no way to open this door, not from here anyway. They both knew what must be done. Touma had to tell her... Otherwise she wouldn't do it.

"Index! Index! Listen to me!" He yelled. "You have to leave me."

_"NO! I WON'T!"_ She banged on the door.

"Index-"

"No I won't leave you again! I made a promised!" She cried.

"You have let me go Index."

_"I promised you! I promised you!_"

"INDEX!"

The girl started sobbing.

"It's okay, It's not your fault, silly." Touma comforted her.

_"B-But Touma... I-I..."_

"Listen, I want you to find the white-haired boy named Tachibana Itsuki. He'll know what to do... Err, I hope."

"This isn't funny Touma!" She yelled.

"I know... But I also know that you wouldn't give up, that's why I can trust you to save me."

"Touma..."

"You're my partner right? I know can count on you."

Index nodded.

"_haha_...That's the spirit..." Touma looked at her. "Index... I wanted to say that I'm sorry for all those times I made you worry about me..."

_"No Touma, I'm the one who should be apologizing!"_

Even though they're separated, their feelings still reach out to each other.

Faith is for things you can't see, but the girl right in front of him is real, and he knows the things she can accomplished.

"I'll get you out of there Touma, wait for me!" She spoke with determination.

"I know you will, partner." He responded with trust.

"I'll be right back! Wait for me! I'll save you I promised!"

Touma watched from behind the door as the girl ran off.

The truth? He hated the idea of sending Index into the Village and blamed himself for doing so and making her cry again... But he believed in her...

There's nothing else he could do but to trust her.

With his back against the door, he slides down to the ground.

_"Fuko da..."_ He sighed.

* * *

_*End of the Fourth Hour*_


	7. THE FIFTH HOUR: Land of the Blind

**Author's Note:** It's been a long time! I've gotten side tracked several times with other projects, trying to work on my writing style which honestly didn't change that much- I've only streamline it... Anyway with Halloween a mere three months away I'm planning to finish the backlogs before Halloween- I estimate that's another 5 more chapters here, and 3 more chapters in [Original Sin]... So let's not waste time.

The background story has been revealed already, the history and culture of the Minakami village had been covered by the first half of this story, however that only laid the foundation of the story- It's time to dive into the reason why the ritual had failed, and the fate of the twin girls Yae and Sae. Also, rather than to leave around messages like the game, I've changed to a more 'integrated' form of writing. I've done some editing to the previous chapters as well.

Also, don't worry if you need a refresher, that's what Touma's for.

* * *

_********__~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_._~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

_**{I want to see Itsuki...}**_

_**{I want to see him, and say I'm sorry...}**_

_**{It's all our fault...}**_

_**{If we hadn't run away...}**_

_**{Itsuki and the others...}**_

_**{It didn't have to be this way...}**_

_********__~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_._~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

* * *

Boring.

Absolutely boring.

Kamijou Touma lamented as he bumped the back of his head against the book-shelf inside the cell where the folklorist was once imprisoned, but now it's his turn to get locked up. This wasn't his first time facing a four wall conference; more than once had he gotten into trouble with Anti-Skill and had to be placed in a holding cell or an interview room for the night- it wasn't anything really serious, but to be stuck not doing anything for twelve hours was just pure torture.

Of course, even though Academy City had its own fair share of dangers, Kamijou would rather face them than being trapped in a dirty, dusty cell once occupied by a long dead folklorist, and a haunted village full of psychotic killer ghosts that played by their own rules.

Yes, that's right- Ghosts.

This horror-slasher movie script started roughly four hours ago. Kamijou Touma and his companion Index chance upon a seemingly abandon rural village in the middle of "Nowhereland-Japan", but they soon found themselves trapped and separated by the haunted spirits of the place.

In some cosmic coincidence, a powerful magic had overwhelmed the village a long time ago. Index calls it a [**Death Echo**]; a magic array that imprinted the life force and memories of the village's inhabitants and replayed the scene of their final hours over and over again. These shades reenacting moments from their life had a ghastly pale appearance commonly associated with ghosts and spirits. Most of them are harmless visions, but occasionally there are some 'errors' in the array that can turn them violent.

"There's got to be a limit how much bad luck one gets..." Kamijou complained to the dusty old books surrounding him.

It took close to three hours of investigation and legwork, but the dynamic duo were able to piece together what the hell was going on.

In order to appease the [**Hellish Abyss**], which is basically their version of the _Hellmouth_, the people of the Minakami village held a dark secret. They would periodically sacrifice twin shrine maidens in a dark ritual whereby one of the twin must kill the other. The suffering and torment of the dying sibling would become the key to sealing the [**Hellish Abyss**].

That was the gist of things, but it was still only one part of the puzzle. In order to truly uncover what really happened that fateful night years ago, Kamijou Touma and Index seek out the key individuals who were involved.

_**Yae and Sae-**_ The twin shrine maidens next to be sacrificed in the Ritual known as the [**Crimson Sacrifice**]. It required that one of the twins must kill the other. In an attempt to escape from this fate, Yae wanted to escape the village with her sister, but Sae seemed to have other plans...

_**The Ceremonial master-**_ The man responsible for overseeing the ritual. As it turns out he was the father of the twin shrine Maidens. In order to save his village, he made the tough decision to find and bring back his daughters... Only Yae was able to escape...

_**Tachibana Itsuki-**_ One of the previous twins meant to be sacrificed, but apparently something went wrong and his ritual failed... Despite being locked up in a cell, he's still trying to help people escape from this village...

_**The Folklorist-**_ A long time ago, there was a man and his pupil that came to study the secret ritual of the Minakami village. But instead he was captured by the villagers who planned on turning him into a [**Kusabi**], some kind of living magic spell according to Index... Both Yae and Sae were attempting to rescue him.

But then what? Was it really okay to just follow the story to just find a way to escape? Kamijou Touma understood that nothing he do could ever bring those people back to life... The power he possess was not one that can perform such miracles- only destroy them.

Yet... It just doesn't sit well with him, there must be something else he could do...

While contemplating all this, out of the blue a thought had just occurred to the boy.

"Oh crap, did I give her directions?-!"

Somewhere outside the walls of the Kurosawa household, a young silver-haired nun exploded in frustration-

**"TOUMA YOU IDIOT! YOU DIDN'T GIVE ME DIRECTIONS!"**

* * *

**THE FIFTH HOUR: Land of the Blind  
=========================**

The young girl wearing a causal white dress rather than her usual nun robes named Index found herself stuck outside the great gates of the Kurosawa house. She had used the [**Hammer key**] to escape through the underground cellar, but now she's unsure of how to proceed.

"Touma said to look for the white hair boy called _'Tachibana Itsuki'_, and that he'll know what to do... But where am I suppose to look?"

Index only heard from Touma that he was locked up in a storehouse cell, behind a large house... It would take forever to search each and every one of them-

_A flash of bright red. _

"Oh." Index blinked. "That's convenient..."

At the corner of her eyes, a single glowing crimson butterfly caught her attention. Considering the nature of this particular the [**Death Echo**] phenomenon is Japanese, this is not completely surprising- Butterflies in Japanese mythology were said to lead to interesting things when they are followed.

And follow that butterfly she shall.

Through the 'L' shaped pathway, Index finds herself backtracking down the same route that she had taken to the Kurosawa main gates from the Osaka house. The village was completely silent, save for the sound of her breathing and the cracking of firewood being burnt for light- why would any ghosts need to burn for light was something beyond her, but she suppose it's another design of the [Death Echo]. The crimson butterfly continued to lead her down a straight and narrow path, passed the Osaka house, and a larger building with the 'Tachibana' name being hung on its doors. Index highly doubts it's a mere coincidence that it has the same family name as this Itsuki boy. A village this small would only have a handful of people living inside making it almost impossible for two people to have the same family name while having zero relationship with one ano-

_**{It's our fault for running away...}**_

_**{We should have done the ritual...}**_

By now Index should had been desensitized to the sudden haunting antics of this cursed village, but when a hollow voice pops out of nowhere accompanied by a sudden drop in the surrounding temperature, it still made her jumped. In front of the silver haired nun was the ash gray image of a girl wearing a pure white kimono, she was hunched over and crying in front of the storehouse as crimson butterflies circle around her. Index recognized her as the same girl she had saw in the Kurosawa house- Only not covered in blood or laughing like a lunatic.

_**{Yae... Why did you leave by yourself...?}**_

_**{It's our fault that this is happening to Itsuki...}**_

_**{You promised we'd always be together...}**_

"Yae? That must mean... This is Sae...?" Index whispered.

The young girl cautiously approached the ghost from behind with the Camera Obscura at the ready. This device was said to be one of the world's first successful hybridization of Science and Magic; a machine built by science that can reach out into the world of magic. Just as she was within 3 meters of Sae, the shade suddenly vanished into thin air.

Index tensed up as she prepared herself for a surprise attack just in case. She only relaxed after she caught the sight of crimson lights fluttering from the corner of her eyes.

The silver haired sister thought back to the diaries and notes that she and Touma had uncovered in the Kurosawa House; the twins Yae and Sae were the Crimson Sacrifices for this ritual and they planned to escape the village together, but Yae escaped alone leaving behind Sae... Why? What happened?

* * *

Index followed the crimson butterfly around the back to the storehouse cell where the white haired boy was being held prisoner behind bars. Itsuki was surprised by her appearance- he probably never seen a foreigner before in his life, let alone one with silver hair. Index wasted no time introducing herself and explained the situation to him. Itsuki patiently listened to the story without questioning Index about who she is or what she had been doing in the Kurosawa house, Index in turn tried not to mention anything that would sound suspicious to a person from that memory... There was no guarantee that they won't turn violent...

"...And now Touma is trapped in the Kurosawa house! What are we going to do?"

Itsuki closed his eyes, thought for a moment, before answering.

"Not to worry, the Kurosawa cell key... I believe they keep it at the Osaka House. In the past, the Osaka family were close to the Kurosawa's, but after the incident with the Osaka twins years ago... No, never mind... That's not important right now..." Itsuki shook his head. "Once inside the Osaka house, get to the basement and search the place for the family altar..."

"A family altar... I've seen that before when we entered the house last time... Is the key in the altar?" Index recalled using her perfect memory.

Itsuki shook his head.

"No- there is a pinwheel seal behind the altar. In order to unlock the mechanism, you'll have to make all four sections of the pinwheel the same color. Once you do that it'll open the secret door that leads to an underground cavern. The Osaka family used it to hide many of the family's secret items, if there's one place they would put the key, it's definitely there!"

"How do you know these things?"

"...Once upon a time, I tried to help two girls escape from their fate..." Itsuki smiled, "In order to do that, me and my brother studied the secrets of the four households and learn how to beat them."

"Yae and Sae?"

Itsuki looked surprised.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"What... Happened to them?" Index asked carefully.

Itsuki blinked, confused at her words.

"**They escaped of course.**"

* * *

_********__~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_._~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

**_{Please...}_**

**_{Come back now...}_**

**_{Don't leave me alone...}_**

**_{It's dark here...}_**

**_{I don't want to be alone...}_**

**_{Yae...}_**

**_{Yae...}_**

_********__~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_._~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~_

* * *

The Osaka House.

When Index and Touma first arrived at the Minakami village this was the first building that they've entered. Even though it has only been four hours ago, the nun-in-training felt like she had left this place a life time ago.

Walking into the house for a second time again, Index instinctively projected in her mind a perfect floor plan of the house she has only been inside once with her photographic memories.

The place was a mess. The furniture was all over the place, the smell of dust filled the air, the wood supporting the stairs were practically rotting, and in the middle of the room sat a sunken fireplace. It was here that she and Touma found the notes left behind by Miyako Sudo, a woman who had came to this village looking for her boyfriend- the land surveyor Masumi Makimura. Interestingly enough, she knew about the village by rumors, but she risked it to find her lover. She had also displayed a slight sensitivity to the supernatural as she mentions repeating in her writings that she felt the presence of someone else in the house. As the notes continued, it revealed that she was trapped in the village for several days, possibly even weeks, and through her dreams, she begins to get visions of what happened in the village...

...And in the last entry, she found Masumi, or rather his vengeful spirit, and was strangled to death by him. Her life force became imprinted on to the [**Death Echo**] magic array, creating a 'ghost' image of herself with the memories of her life, which ended up haunting the Osaka House.

Using the Camera Obscura, Index was able to defeat her and hopefully let her memories rest in peace.

"Itsuki said to look in the Family Altar Room... If I recalled correctly... It's through the big Tatami Room, around the back room..."

The family Altar Room. It was in this same room where she found the camera and had her first encounter with Miyako Sudo. As if she was walking through her own house, Index effortlessly retraced her steps back to the big room full of Tatami. She found a small trigger mechanism against the wall facing the candle stick and with a simple tap on the wall revealed it to be hollow. Index press against the hidden door; it didn't take much effort for it to give way into another room. The first thing she saw was the very large and eye-catching Altar at the opposite end of the room, everything else about the place is no different from the previous gloomy, dark, and creepy ones.

As Index pressed her ear against the altar, she could make out some kind of hollow noises coming from the other side- it sounded like air passing through an empty space.

Looking around it, she saw five pinwheel stone tablets on the small door behind the family altar.

"An unlocking device?"

In a split-second, Index completed the analysis of the mechanism and had compared it to the knowledge of the 103 000 grimoires in her head. While it might seem like a strange thing to do, Magicians all over the ages had been using traps and special mechanism to hide their work and protect their secrets. Magic itself is like a machine with gears and locks to keep it functioning.

Of course, this was all before the electronic age.

The device was set up as such; **5** pinwheels round objects, **1** on the top and bottom left side, **1** on the top and bottom right side, and **1** in the center, the arrangement of all of them are similar to the positions of dots on the side of a gambling dice representing the number '**5**'. Within each individual pinwheels are **4** 'blades' arranged in a diagonal fashion resembling an '**X**', these blades could be any one of the following colours- **red**, **blue**, **green** and **orange**; the colours can be repeatable- meaning you could have up to two or three blades of the same colour on a pinwheel.

The first one on the top left hand side;

**red, blue,**  
**Blue, red**

The second one on the top right hand side;

**red, orange,**  
**orange, orange**

The third one in the center;

**Blue, orange**  
**green, red**

The fourth one on the bottom left hand side;

**green, red**  
**green, green**

The fifth one on the bottom right hand side;

**Red, blue**  
**blue, red**

According to Itsuki, she would have to get the same color for all the sides to unlock it, meaning that the blade from the top left pinwheel that's facing the blade on the center pinwheel has to be the same colour, (_green to green, red to red_ ) etc. She could only rotate the pinwheels in a clockwise direction- the catch was that each turn of any of the four outer pinwheel would also move the center pinwheel in a counterclockwise motion- that was the only way to move the center pinwheel. If that wasn't hard enough, Index found a counter on the device that is set to return all the pinwheels to its original positions after 4 turns.

"Alright... I can do this in no time!" Index's chest swell with pride.

...In the end, it took her fifteen minutes of trial and error.

Not that she was going to admit that to Touma.

_*Click*_

It seems to have unlocked. Now part of the wall can be slid to one side, revealing a hidden flight of stairs d-

_**The floor creaked.**_

"...!"

_**Slowly but surely, the sound of footsteps could be heard just on the other side of the wall, in the room that she was just in.**_

_**A low grunt, heavy breathing, and inaudible mumbles. **_

"This is strangely familiar..." Index gulped.

The temperature of the room drastically drops, Index could see her breath forming as she tried to steady her racing heartbeat.

_**Suddenly, the creaking stopped just outside the door, for the next few seconds nothing happened. No walking, no mumbling, no sound.**_

_**Inch by inch, the door begun to slide open and a set of pale bony finger appeared through the other side.**_

_**Cold, empty eyes stared back.**_

And that's when the realization hit her.

Miyako Sudo was looking for her lost lover and was killed by him in this house.

So the question is- What happened to her killer?

The answer of course; is that **he's still here.**

**Masumi Makimura.**

_**The man's face was horribly disfigured with multiple deep gashes across everywhere. He looked exactly like in the picture Index had taken before, but those slash marks meant nothing to her at that time. Now something had clicked inside her head as she realized where she had seen similar slash marks before.**_

_**Back in the Kurosawa house.**_

_**The room full of mutilated corpses with their faces carved up and their limbs hacked off.**_

_**She knew who had done this to him.**_

"You were killed by him weren't you... By the Kusabi."

As if the very name of his killer was a trigger, the disfigured ghost of Masumi Makimura flew into a rage and rush at the girl. Index was startled by his sudden burst of speed; he was a shockingly fast compared to the previous shades that she had faced and was barely able to avoid getting tackled by him. Index could imagine how Miyako Sudo was caught off guard by his sudden and violent action.

"That uncontrollable anger might also be due to the corruption of the life force that the Kusabi had imprinted onto you... Turning your love into hatred towards your cruel fate... You became blinded by the darkness..."

_** {I have to go back...}**_

"...And killed the love of your life."

_**{There's something I have to give her...}**_

It was already too late for him; he had became another tragic figure caught in this hellish nightmare story. Like the many other people trapped in this village, he was as much a victim as Miyako Sudo, as the folklorist, as Itsuki, as Sae and Yae... None of them wanted any of this, they never wanted people to get hurt, to be stuck in an endless night and forced to relieve the horror and pain of their last moments. Index understood all of this, she had seen her fair share of suffering in a one year of running around the world alone.

Nothing she say or do would change the fact that Masumi killed his lover.

There were no easy fixes.

No magic spells to make it all better.

But even so...

"This is the only thing I can do for you now, I'm sorry..."

Index raise the camera obscura and point it at Masumi.

A more powerful exorcism was require. the Camera Obscura would act as a tool, Index simply had to channel it in the appropriate technique that compliments the camera.

Similar to Miyako Sudo, the _Nine Syllable Seals_ would do.

Masumi twisted his head- broken and hollow voice escape his lips, they were words he had held on to the end...

_** {I have to go back...}**_

_**{There's something I have to give her...}**_

_**{I have to go back...}**_

_**{There's something I have to give her...}**_

* * *

_For some reason, one of the statues is in the form of twins._

_I have also found a description of a "Twin Deities Statue" in the writings lying around the house._

_In this region, twins serve an unusual purpose. Twin sisters or brothers perform a special ritual here._

_Each time the ritual it completed, a new Twin Deities Statue is placed somewhere in the village._

_The ritual occurs every few decades, and judging by the number if Twin Deities..._

_******~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**_

_I looked down into the old well but it was pitch black, and I couldn't see a thing._

_If you listen closely, you can only hear wind blowing, and it seems that the water has all dried up._

_I can't tell which was here first, the house or the well. Neither has been used in a while._

_According to the records, this house used to belong to the powerful Tsuchihara family._

_In this village, the Osaka, Kiryu, and Tachibana families were also influential. _

_Each house had its own crest, and help power in the village._

_As a group they were also in charge of a special ritual._

_Each was a branch of the Kurosawa family, who administered to the ceremony. _

_They performed the role of priests._

_The Kurosawa name is scattered throughout the literature, but no concrete information is written._

_I have no doubt that they held absolute power though._

_Where in the world did the villagers go?_

_And how do you get out of this village?_

_The answers to these questions lie within the Kurosawa house._

_I'm not sure how I know, but I have a strong feeling about this..._

_******~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**_

_I found a small shrine at the top of a long set of stairs, shrouded in mist._

_It seems very old, but it is well-made, and has not fallen into disrepair._

_The entrance has a large butterfly crest painted on it. It's the same as the one on the building beyond the large bridge._

_Butterflies seem to have a special meaning, just like twins. _

_They are frequently mentioned in the ritual literature. "Butterfly" means something else to the villagers too._

_I notice that the word always appears in writings about the ritual._

_I may not know its exact meaning, but the fact that the butterfly crest is on a shrine indicates that it is very special indeed._

_I should investigate further._

_******~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**_

_I came to this hill to take a look at the gate I passed through when I entered the village._

_But when I tried to find it, the ruined gate was buried under trees and other flora._

_I can't find the path that we used to come here..._

_This hill is called "Misono Hill". According to literature, this location plays a key role in the ceremony._

_Right in the middle lies a massive rock, known as the "Offering Stone", and the surrounding area is protected by wards._

_This "Offering Stone" also seems to be a "Cover" for sealing some kind of hole._

_What sort of hole needs a gigantic stone like this for a cover? _

_Why does it need to be covered at all?_

_What if this is the very thing I've been searching for, the way out of the village?_

_I have to check this out more thoroughly._

_******~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**_

_How many days have I been in the village? 2? Maybe 3?_

_It feels like I've been here for years._

_In this village of endless night, it's easy to lose all sense of time._

_Miyako is utterly exhausted._

_Sometimes she manages to give me a weak smile, but it only makes me more uncomfortable. _

_Physically and mentally, she's running on empty._

_I haven't found a out yet, but sifting through the material I gathered in the village again, I found a clue._

_A gigantic underground tunnel, called a passageway, connects all the important locations in the village._

_It is used for travel between the houses during the ceremony, and also store important items._

_It's difficult to estimate the scale of the passages from the map, but there is sure to be a way out through there._

_I didn't find any information about the entrance to a passageway._

_However, there must be a clue somewhere in the Kurosawa house, as they presided over the ceremony._

_I've decided to leave Miyako here and search the Kurosawa house alone._

_I'll find a way out of the village and then come back for her..._

_I'll be nearby._

_Miss you!_

* * *

"A passage way..."

When the ghastly manifestation of Masumi Makimura faded away, a notebook fell to the ground. It was a report that he had put together about the village. Written within it were the notes about everything that he could find about this place. Most of it were familiar topics like the 'Twins' and 'Butterflies', but there were also clues about a secret escape route... Much like herself, the land surveyor was trying to find a way out of the village. There were many clues that he couldn't make sense of; the four families, the butterfly shrine, the stone at Misono Hill...

In the last entry, he went alone to investigate the Kurosawa House.

And met his fate at the hands of the Kusabi.

Index shook a head and offered a silent prayer for the dead.

There was not much else she could do, but she thanked Masumi for gathering the pieces of the puzzle necessary to figure a way out of this nightmare.

Carry the gift that Masumi gave up his life to obtain, Index found new strength to process with her mission and make her way down the hidden stairs.

At the end of the passage was a big cavern, about the size of a Japanese school classroom.

This place must have been used for storage; there were old suits of armor and a Buddha statues here, as well as household items such as braziers and candlestick holders.

At one corner, you can see a large space beyond the rocks. It looks like another passage way, but the opening was too small for even Index to crawl through. She recalled that in the Masumi's village report, there were several underground passage ways being dug out by the villagers for the people involved in the ceremonies to move about freely. This underground passage must lead somewhere else, too.

There were dozens of crates and boxes in the cavern, it would take too long to search them all- There had to be some kind of clue...

At the end of the cave was a lone chest. It stood out from the rest because of its bright **red**, **green**, **blue** and **orange** colour, similar to the ones on the pinwheel blades. Plus, it's the only item that isn't covered by dust for some suspicious reasons.

The hinges creaked as Index opened the elaborate looking chest and found that it was held a strange looking object that looked like a seal, or an emblem of some sort... The Japanese characters craved onto the item were [**Osaka**], Index suspect this was the family crest. Unsure if it would be of any use later, Index pocketed it just in case, she turned around and-

_**...Was greeted by a horrific sight.**_

_**A tall man without any hair on his head, wearing tattered rags with ropes and chains all over. It's most prominent feature, the one that separates it from the other shades that she had seen, was a single large blindfold worn across his eyes. His teeth were dark and decayed, his tongue was black and revolting.**_

_**The creature stretched out his arm towards her; its hand was just barely out of reach of her hair.**_

Index was too terrified to even breathe.

_**The long nails on his hand missed her hair by a millimeter. **_

The abomination waved his arm in a wide arc continuously, searching for sighs of any intruders in the vicinity. Once it's satisfied that nothing was there, the ghost turn and limped away.

_These must be the __**Mourners**_... Index thought.

In the cell where the folklorist was being held, Index and Touma found several important manuscripts regarding details about the secrets ceremony being conducted by this village. One of those text spoke of the [**Mourners**]; they are the guardians of the [**Hellish Abyss**], and the only ones that can get near it. Whenever the year of the ceremony approaches, the [Mourners] sew their eyes shut so they cannot glimpse the [Hellish Abyss]. A fresh supply of _'Volunteers'_ comes from the local criminals, but anyone that had seen the [Hellish Abyss] were also forced to become one.

Once the individual becomes a [Mourner], they're made to live underground forever, never returning to the surface... And it seems that Index had just stumbled into their territory.

_The secret passage way that Masumi was looking for... It looks like these Mourners are the guardians of it..._

**_*Cluck*_**

The back of her foot hit the chest gently.

"...Eh?"

The Mourner suddenly stopped in its tracks.

"...!"

Turns its head around and 'looked' at the girl.

A scowl began to form on it's face.

"GAHHHHHH! Touma's misfortune have rubbed off on me!" Index yelled in despair.

The Mourner rush at her from across the room; the silver haired girl instinctively snapped a shot of it with the Camera Obscura, but instead of knocking back the ghost, he was staggered only briefly before shrugged it off and started swiping his arms wildly at her. Index was caught off guard by his immediate recovered and tripped over the uneven ground, narrowly missing it's ghastly hand as she fell to the floor. She quickly rolled over to the side but the mourner can clearly track her by the noise and began approaching her.

Index got up and took another shot at it with the camera. It wasn't that the Mourner wasn't affected by it, but the results were simply not effective enough as the creature quickly demonstrates by swiping his arms at her, recovering almost immediately from the flash.

_That's not working! Maybe I can try to catch him off guard...!_

So instead of snapping another picture right away, Index calmly but quickly tip-toed away from that spot while trying to conceal her movements and minimized sound. This seems to work as the Mourner blindly lumbered to her former location and tried to grab thin air. Confused, the creature tried to pin point her location; because he can't see, it can only use it's ears to find her.

The moment he turned his ear towards her direction, she snapped a shot with her camera.

The results were significant; the Mourner was almost knocked to its feet as it reeled back while howling in pain.

It was a good four seconds before it recovered and started going into a frenzy swinging it's arms wildly at Index.

But she isn't at the same spot anymore.

While the Mourner was recovering, Index had already been tip-toeing to another location, getting ready to setup another shot.

Once again, when the Mourner stopped to listen with its other ear, Index immediately took a picture of it.

With that, the Mourner shrieked in pain as his physical form faded back into the darkness. The room temperature returned back to normalcy.

There is something on the spot near where the spirit had just stood before he 'died', Index walked over to picked it up the rusty key that was dropped earlier.

"This... This should be the one; it's shape matches the keyhole on Touma's cell..." Index inspect the object in her hands. "I've got to get back to him, it's been almost an hour and I-"

_**{Somebody... please find me...}**_

Index froze in fear.

_**{I don't want to be alone...}**_

**A trick of the eye, she was sure... But for some reason, the cavern started to look weird and surreal; the surroundings started to look all grainy- like an old movie film from the 40s. The colours started to shift and oscillate between black and white...**

_****__**{I'm here...}**_

_**{I'm here...}**_

_**Her eyes dart all over the place, trying to location the source of the cold blooded whisper...**_

_**{Somebody...}**_

_****__**{Somebody...}**_

_****__**{Somebody...}**_

_****__**{Somebody...}**_

_****__**{Somebody...}**_

_****__**{Somebody...}**_

_****__**{Somebody...}**_

_****__**{Somebody...}**_

_****__**{Somebody...}**_

_****__**{Somebody...}**_

_****__**{Somebody...}**_

_****__**{Somebody...}**_

_****__**{Somebody...}**_

_****__**{Somebody...}**_

_****__**{Somebody...}**_

_****__**{Somebody...}**_

_****__**{Somebody...}**_

_****__**{Somebody...}**_

_****__**{Somebody...}**_

_****__**{Somebody...}**_

_****__**{Somebody...}**_

_****__**{Somebody...}**_

_****__**{Somebody...}**_

_****__**{Somebody...}**_

* * *

_**{...ARE YOU GOING TO LEAVE ME BEHIND AGAIN, DEAREST SISTER?}**_

* * *

_**Before her brain could register what was going now, a single cold hand reach out from the gap and grabbed the back of her collar, violently yanking her down.**_

_**She didn't even had time to scream.**_

_Touma..._

The rusty key fell to the floor, bounced once, then remain still.

The surroundings return back to normal.

In an instance, the cavern became silent once more.

As if nothing had happened.

Witnessing all this from behind a pillar was a pale skinned girl with short black hair, wearing and equally white kimono dress. Slowly, she approached the spot where the silver haired nun once stood, and picked up the rusty key from the floor.

* * *

Bored.

Absolutely, completely, bored.

Kamijou Touma lamented as he bumped the back of his head against the book-shelf inside the cell where the folklorist was once imprisoned- but now it's his turn to get locked up. This wasn't his first time facing a four wall conference; more than once had he gotten into trouble with Judgment and had to be placed in a holding cell or an interview room for the night- it wasn't anything really serious, but to be stuck not doing anything for twelve hours is just pure torture.

In fact, he's almost certain he's been replaying this monologue in his head ten times over.

Suddenly, the familiar clacking of keys and locks reverberated in his ears.

The large black door swung open.

"INDEX! Oh thank God you're back! I was going crazy just-" Kamijou Touma paused in mid sentence. "...Who are you?"

The girl standing in front of the door wasn't Index.

"M-My name is K-Kurosawa Yae," The pale looking girl in a white Kimono introduced herself timidly.

"Kurosawa... Yae...?" Kamijou's eyes widen as he recognized that name.

The girl nodded her head.

"Please, there isn't much time! Your friend is in danger!"

* * *

_*End of the Fifth Hour*_

* * *

_Coming Soon..._

**SIXTH HOUR: _Doll House_**

**Yae: **"G-Greetings everyone, my name is Kurosawa Yae, I-I'll be taking over as the main h-heroine!"

**Index: **"NO YOUR NOT! Touma who is this strange girl?"

**Yae: **"Wahhh! I was just kidding! Kidding! Readers familiar with the Frame Fatal 2 story would find that certain elements have been changed around for this to fit better into a written story format! The Author is learning after all! You might also find it strange to see me appear at all, but the Author assures me that I'll be treated the same way Kamachi-sensei treats all his female characters... Erm, what does that mean?"

**Index: **"ENOUGH OF THAT! YOU! Kuro-tanpatsu! Do you have a boyfriend or not!"

**Yae: **"B-B-B-B-BOYFRIEND! I-I-I... No I-I-I-I-I! Munakata-kun and I are just friends- NONONONO! I mean-!"**_  
_**

**Touma: **"...Dolls... Why does it have to be dolls...Fukou da..."

**_P.S - _**_Anybody wants to try the pinwheel puzzle?_**_  
_**


	8. THE SIXTH HOUR Part 1: Doll House

**Author's Notes:** I think if you had asked anyone that had played Fatal Frame 2 what was the creepiest, scariest, most disturbing house of the entire game, most if not all of them would answer the [**Kiryu House**], aka "_That-FREAKING-Doll-House_".

And that's where we're going in this hour.

It was actually pretty difficult writing this chapter for a fanfic because the core of the story progression for this part of the game requires the camera and tons of backtracking... Now if you thought you hated backtracking in a game, imagine reading about it... So I had to take some measures in adapting this segment for Touma. Besides the lack of a camera obscura that's with Index, Touma also has to take care of Kurosawa Yae, who had returned to the village for reasons unknown- How she would ultimately play a part in this story remains to be seen but for now one problem at a time...

Btw, this was originally intended to last only one chapter, but little did I realize there's a lot of things to go through...

* * *

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

_**{The twin's houses,}  
**_

_**{Over the bridge...}  
**_

_**{A locked house,}  
**_

_**{Connected by heaven and earth...}  
**_

_**{If Heaven is the roofed passageway...}  
**_

_**{Then Earth must be... Underground...}  
**_

_**{I have to meet him...}  
**_

_**{To say I'm sorry...}**_

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

* * *

Yae explained the situation as they ran from the Kurosawa House.

"You friend, the silver haired girl, was ambushed in the underground passage from the Osaka house while she was looking for the key that opens your cell door..."

_Damnit, this was my fault... If I didn't get myself caught in that trap..._ Kamijou cursed himself bitterly.

But now's not the time to wallow in self-pity.

Feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to get her back.

"Is Index still there?"

"I don't believe so, she probably made her way under the Tachibana House by now."

"So how do we get in?"

The girl wearing a white kimono shook her head.

"There is no way we can enter the house through the main door..."

"Why not?" Kamijou asked.

"See for yourself."

There surrounding the entrance of the old house was a large gathering of ghastly specters armed with pitchfork, black torches and other variety of farm tools.

At first Kamijou thought they were standing guard against any intruders that might try to get in; but on closer observations he saw that the spectral villagers were all watching the House rather than away from it.

They don't care about people getting in, they just don't want anyone _**getting out.**_

"Fukoda..." The boy with the spiky hair lamented.

"Fu...Koda?" Yae tilted her head sideways in confusion.

On top of everything that's going on, Kamijou Touma also found himself pairing up with one of the inhabitants of this haunted village. When his cell door opened, Touma had expected to see a silver haired British girl standing in front of him... Instead what he got was a Japanese girl with short black hair and a white kimono introducing herself as **'Kurosawa Yae'**. The highschool boy immediately recognized that name; Kurosawa Yae was one of the twins that would be part-taking in the Forbidden Ritual on the very night that this [**Death Echo**] had been cast onto the village. Throughout the numerous scattered notes and diaries left around the Kurosawa House, both Kamijou and Index were able to deduce that the Twins had planned to escape the village with the help of Itsuki... If that's the case, what is this girl still doing here?

"Erm never mind... There has to be another way in right?" Kamijou asked.

But his inquiries about Kurosawa Yae's motives could wait, the most important thing now is to find Index.

"Yes, from the Kiryu House..." Yae pointed to the building beside it. "The Kiryu house and the Tachibana house are linked by a connecting corridor; it's because of this bridge that they're sometimes referred to as the "_Twin Houses_". The Twin Shrine Maidens will stay there before the ceremony and are apparently cleansed there too. During the cleansing they are not allow to go outside, but they may pass freely between the houses."

Yae pointed at the overhead bridge that linked the two houses together.

"What most of the villagers don't know is that there is a second bridge that connects the two houses; The walkway on the 2nd floor of the Tachibana house is called the [**Heaven Bridge**], but there is also an underground passageway in the basement of the Kiryu house called the [**Earth Bridge**]."

"Wait, you said Index was in the Osaka House's underground tunnel, so the [**Earth Bridge**] is somehow connected to the Osaka house as well?"

Yae nodded.

"Father once told me that the entire network of caverns under the Minakami Village was a gigantic underground tunnel that connected all the important locations in the village. It's used for travel between the houses during ceremonies, as well as a storage place for important items..."

"In that case, why can't we just access the Osaka House's passageway?"

The black haired girl shook her head.

"There was a cave-in when your friend was taken- it had sealed the entrance... In addition to that, the villagers are on the high alert there as well, the _**Kiryu House**_ is the only place not guarded."

That didn't sound good.

"And... Why is that?" Kamijou asked calmly.

"The villagers are... Uncomfortable around it..." Kurosawa Yae looked pale, even for a ghost. "This was well before my time, but I heard stories that ever since the last Kiryu twins performed their ritual years ago, that house has never been the same again. The ritual affects all of us and we cope with it in our own way, but for the Kiryu family... The head of the house did something... Unusual... The results of his actions left the entire village to believe that the House had become... _**Haunted**_."

A haunted house that an entire village of ghosts are afraid of... Wonderful.

"_Fukoda_... So what did he do?"

The black haired girl smiled weakly.

"...As the story goes, the last head of the Kiryu family tried to bring his daughter back to life..."

* * *

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

_**{A ritual... One sister kills the other...}**_

_**{Kill one half...}**_

_**{Fear The Remaining...}**_

_**{This is not a doll...}**_

_**{It is not my child, either...}**_

_**{It is a ghost...}**_

_**{I must kill it...}**_

_**{Even if it look like my child...}**_

_**{I must kill it...}**_

_**[The arms, the head and eyes...}**_

_**{...Where did you hide them?}**_

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

* * *

**THE SIXTH HOUR (Part 1) : Doll House  
================================**

After sneaking passed the ghostly mob, Kamijou Touma and Kurosawa Yae entered the Kiryu House.

"Well... This looks familiar..." The boy groaned.

It seemed almost pointless and trivial to describe the scenery as one haunted house looked pretty much the same as the next with its dim lighting, rotting wooden structure, occasionally you'll find a pot that had been left on the stone cooking stove filled with soot that doesn't look as if it's been used for a very long time. Even the atmosphere was the same as both the Osaka House and the Kurosawa House, Kamijou wanted to spice things up and say something cool like _"There's something sinister lurking within_" or "_The fear that grips his heart felt stronger than before" _but the honest truth was he's pretty much used to all this crap after the fifth hour of being stuck in this haunted village, and time after time again his Imagine Breaker proves to be more than a match to anything that could be thrown at him.

"So what's the plan?" He asked.

"We find the room that houses the entrance to the [**Earth Bridge**], then we go get your friend back."

"Simple enough, let's go."

With a confident demeanor, Kamijou slide open the neared door into the first room.

...They say confidence is what a man feels right before he learns all the facts.

"What the hell...?" His eyes widened.

There were three oriental dolls hung by a one meter long rope tied around their necks from the ceiling, physical appearance wise they all look the same with white expressionless faces and long black 'hair', except two of them were dressed in brown yukata while the third wore a dark gray one. They were swung ever so slightly by the breeze coming from the windows. Kamijou Touma can't help but felt that they were intentionally set up at that height (_his head level_) so that they would be the first things anyone saw when they entered the room.

On the floor were two more dolls laid out diagonally from one another, they had a much rounded face with clearer features as oppose to the hanging dolls above- though they were still just as expressionless.

Something else that Kamijou noticed was that none of the dolls had their eyes' pupils painted in.

For some reason that stood out to him, even if he doesn't understand the reas-

_**{WHY DO YOU KILL...?}**_

Kamijou nearly jumped as two spirits suddenly materialized right in front of him and ran towards the door at the far corner of the room.

_**They were small girls at least half the size of his size, dressed in black kimono and had waist length dark hair covering their faces, but the most chilling thing was their voice... They were far more distorted than the hollow voices of the memories that he had heard before... If he had to describe it, the voice sounded like it came from broken radios. **_

The two girls fled towards the door and vanished into it.

_**{WHY DO YOU KILL...?}**_

So naturally, the logical thing for Kamijou and Kurosawa to do was to go after them.

Brilliant.

Kamijou felt something tugging the back of his windbreaker.

"Er...Kurosawa-san...?"

He turned his head and saw the pale girl in the white kimono standing behind him while she grabbed his back to use as a human riot shield.

"Yes?" She answered meekly.

"Could it be... That you're afraid...?" Kamijou scratched his head.

"Of course not... I was just... Caught off guard..." Yae replied with a straight face.

"Right so could you let go of my...?"

"... Would it be okay if I didn't?"

"...I guess."

"Good."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"You go first of course, the man must lead the way."

"But this is the age of gender equality..."

"...The man must lead the way."

"..."

"..."

"..._Fukoda_."

With Kurosawa edging him onwards from behind, Kamijou slowly grabbed the handle of the door that the two disturbing looking girls had ran through and slide it open.

_**At the end of the hallway stood a single girl with pale hands and cheeks, she wore a black kimono with a long flowing hair that was just as black covering her upper face.**_

_**He could feel his heart beat racing as it threatens to explode. **_

_**She 'stared' right through him for a few long seconds before uttering those words...**_

_**The hair behind his neck stood straight up.**_

_**{KILL HER...}**_

And just like that she was gone, vanished into thin air.

"Okay... I'm getting that sinking feeling again..."

The two of them entered another narrow hallway; Kamijou could see three doors- one behind him and the other two against the wall on his left. At the end of the hallway where the disturbing little girl had stood was a large Tatami Room that looked like it was once the resting quarters for the inhabitants of this house, most likely the servants given the lack of consideration for privacy in the design of the room. The folding screens were beyond old and decrepit, in some places the wooden floor boards had rotted a hole right through.

Kamijou tried the first door to his left, but before he reached for the handle he heard a disturbing noise coming from behind it.

_Is there somebody in there...? _He thought.

_**Carefully, the boy placed his ear against the door.**_

_**It was hard to tell if it was words or just senseless murmurs.**_

_**The sound behind that door alternated between whispers and gutter talk.**_

_**The boy was unsure if it was just an illusion; while he was certain it was a voice of a man, it sounded as if it was fluctuating- like tuning the pitch of an old radio going up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down... **_

_**Most of it sounded gibberish like a grunts, but that one line he was certain-**_

_**{**__** feaR thE remaininG...}**_

The firmly closed sliding door won't budge.

Perhaps the house was so old that maybe the whole room has warped?

Or was it locked from the inside?

Regardless, he's thankful that he don't have to go through it.

"_Fear the Remaining_? What's a remaining? A remaining of what?" Kamijou pondered out loud.

"..."

"...Kurosawa-san?"

"...The [**Remaining**] is the term we use to describe the twin that was left behind..." The pale girl with short black hair looked down to avoid eye contact.

She bit her lower lip.

"...From the **ritual**."

The Crimson Sacrifice.

A forbidden ritual performed when one twin kills the other.

And the one left behind was referred to as the [**Remaining**].

Kamijou immediately recalled reading something about that in the Ceremonial Master's notes where he referred to Itsuki as a [**Remaining**].

"...Let's skip this door first." Kamijou suggested.

Yae only nodded in agreement.

Next to the whispering room was a double sliding door made of wood like the previous one, minus the creepy mumbling voice.

Kamijou Touma opened it with little difficulty.

"Another altar room huh..."

Spider webs covering the large family altar that was the most distinct feature of the entire room, unless you count the decrepit wall with holes. There seems to be space on either side of the altar, but it's so dark that you can't see it.

Lying on top of the altar was a diary with a violet cover.

"This again huh... Maybe it has some clue as to where we should go-?"

* * *

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

**WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL?**

**WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL?**

**WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL?**

**WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL?**

**WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL?**

**WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL?**

**WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL?**

**WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL?**

**WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL?**

**WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL?**

**WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL?**

**WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL?**

**WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL?**

**WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL?**

**WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL?**

**WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL?**

**WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL?**

**WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL? WHY MUST I KILL?**

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

* * *

The same words were written over and over.

Kamijou slammed the book shut.

"...You don't suppose the owner had some deep seeded issues?" Kamijou awkwardly asked his companion.

But to his surprise, Yae back away with him slowly with a hurtful look on her face.

"...Kamijou-san, are you the type of boy that has a habit of reading girls' diaries?"

"..."

He can't answer that.

Kamijou Touma **DEFINITELY** can't tell this girl that he's been reading her diary as well!

"D-Don't misunderstand! This is just for research! To better prepare ourselves!"

"...I see, if you say so..."

Looks like he dodged the bullet for now.

"...Did you ever read my di-?"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT! I ASSURE YOU I ABSOLUTELY, DEFINITELY, POSITIVELY DID NOT READ THE DIARY YOU AND YOUR SISTER WROTE TOGETHER!"

"Oh okay..." Yae blinked.

The spiky haired boy let out a sigh of relieve.

Just before they left the altar room...

"...How did you know me and Onee-chan wrote in the same diary?"

"..._Fukoda_."

* * *

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

_**{I don't want to kill...}**_

_**{I don't want to kill anyone... So...}**_

_**{Let's stay together, OK...?}**_

_**{I won't kill anymore...}**_

_**{ I CAN'T KILL ANYONE ANYMORE!}**_

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

* * *

After a quick sweep of the Tatami hallway and it's various rooms, Kamijou Touma and Kurosawa Yae was left with only one other door that wasn't locked.

"Ouch..." Kamijou rubbed the bruise on his shin from where Yae had walked up next to him and kicked.

The new room they've entered was much better decorated than the Tatami rooms with quality furniture and various little items, implying a strong importance to this particular room. It was also suspiciously well lit- there were two lamps on the floor that illuminates the place. A small mirror stands covered with red cloths are lined up here. Beyond them there's a pair of dolls. In fact, everything seems to come in pairs in this room...

Through the window you can see the opening of another room.

Old books and scrolls line the shelves. They all appear to be accounts of some ritual, but they're so old it's impossible to read them.

There's a beautiful folding screen standing beyond the chest of drawers with a picture of crimson butterflies fluttering below the flowers on it.

However, none of those things were what he was looking for.

"There doesn't seem to be anything the suggest the entrance to the [**Earth Bridge**] is here," Kamijou remarked as he head for the door on the other side of the room. "Let's move o-"

The highschool boy stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he felt Yae pulling back his shirt again.

_**Slowly, he turned around.**_

_**Sitting in front of the two mirrors which was empty just moments ago were the two same girls dressed in black kimono that he had seen in the hanging dolls room as well as the Tatami hallway from before.**_

_**They just sat there motionless for a few seconds... **_

_**Then vanished again.**_

Kamijou heard something fell onto the floor with a soft _'thud'_.

At the exact same spot where one of the two girls had vanished was a book with a violet cover, similar to the one he had found in the Family Altar room.

"It's another diary... Kurosawa-san please stop give me that look, you know I have no choice but to read it..."

"I'm not giving you any look." Said Yae, as she was most definitely giving him that look. "...So what does it say?"

Kamijou hesitated for a moment.

"It's an account of one of the Kiryu twins performing the crimson sacrifice... And something else..."

* * *

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

_My hands closed around Azami's neck. It was soft, warm. Alive. My grip seemed_

_to cause her so much pain._

_At the very end, the Veiled Priest came to help me._

_But Azami said she wanted only me to do it. I became one with Azami..._

_But now she's gone. I can't talk about it anymore._

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_Father brought Azami back. All I could do was apologize. She forgave me._

_The killing is over now. No more. I'll never hurt anyone again._

_I'll never let anyone kill again!_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_...Father says Azami has been possessed, and he's trying to kill her. He's trying to kill Azami._

_I won't let him do it._

_I won't let that happen anymore..._

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

* * *

The room fell silent.

"...Kurosawa-san, are you okay?" Kamijou looked concerned.

"...H-Hmmm." Yae nodded nervously.

The experience recorded in the Violet Diary... One twin killing her beloved sister... This was the fate that Yae and her sister would be facing when it's their turn to perform the Crimson Sacrifice. Those thoughts and feelings... It might had been similar to her's or Sae's own once upon a time...

_Looks like this answered one of Index's question- The style of death for this sacrificial ritual is by strangulation... I wonder what kind of deity that's for...?_ Kamijou pondered.

_ Come to think of it, how do they decided which twin would kill the other?_

He was curious to find out, but this doesn't seem to be the best time to bring up such a touchy subject, instead he redirected their attention back to the diary.

"I'm guessing this book and the creepy one from before belonged to the Kiryu [**Remaining**] that survived the Crimson Sacrifice."

The same violet cover was a big enough clue.

The spiky-haired boy passed the book to his ghostly companion for safe keeping as they exited what he dubs as the [**Twin Room**], on the account of his observation that everything in it comes with an identical pair, and into a long and narrow hallway that is barely wide enough for the two of them to walk side by side.

"Kamijou-san, something is bothering me-" Kurosawa Yae frowned as she rereads the journal again. "What did she mean that her father brought Azami back?"

"Maybe Azami returned as a ghost? Remember that rumor you told me about the Head of the Kiryu House trying to bring back his daughter?" Kamijou Touma suggested.

"But why would he want to kill her ag-"

_**{WHY KILL?}**_

"?-!"

"?-!"

_**{WHY DO YOU KILL?}**_

"Oh crap...!"

_**They were too careless.**_

_**The door behind them slammed shut- sealed by a powerful force. **_

_**The path splits into two down the narrow hallway.**_

_**One girl dress in black kimono stood blocking their path to the left, while her identical twin blocked their path on right, cutting off all avenues of retreat.  
**_

_**He felt it in his guts that something was wrong. **_

_**It was almost like they were covered by a veil of darkness, embodied by the equally black Kimono that they both wore.**_

_**It was impossible to focus on it, as if it stood in a blind spot caused by a brain tumor or an eye disease. It was bleeding shadows like ink underwater, like a cloud of blood from a shark bite.**_

_**All the supernatural shows he watched calls it [ectoplasm], but now as he confronts the real McCoy, the boy knew exactly what to call it.**_

_**Malice.**_

_**Murderous Intent.**_

Without even a warning, the two of them started closing in on him.

That's when the adrenaline kicked in.

"KUROSAWA! MOVE!"

Yae yelped as Kamijou pushed her behind.

He charged up to one of the sisters, letting his brawler instincts take over.

There are a couple rules to fighting 2 on 1, most important of them was to never get sandwiched between two enemies- always maintain eye contact with your opponent and take the initiative to go on the offense first to get the drop on them.

The first girl didn't even looked surprised at him charging towards her.

**BAM!**

His fist made solid contact, but the result wasn't what he had expected. Instead of the relatively soft and bony impact distinct from hitting a fleshy target, what Kamijou felt was a stingy pain from his wrist as he made contact with a harden surface- like a door or a table. Even if they were ghosts, everyone that he had fought with up to this point still gave a human tactile sensation when he hit them...

The girl let out an eerie shriek as she sank down to the ground and slowly fade off, but she never gave off the 'blue sparks' that became the tell-tale signs that he had injured a ghost.

_**{WHY DO YOU KILL...?}**_

Kamijou spun around to see two girls making a lunge at him behind, he quickly side stepped one of them and instinctively pushed the other away with his right hand.

The girls vanished into the wall.

Kamijou spun around looking for sign of where they might appear next.

At the same time the girls' haunting chants echo throughout the hallway.

_**{WHY DO YOU KILL...?}**_

_**{WHY DO YOU KILL...?}**_

_**{WHY DO YOU KILL...?}**_

Without warning, one of the small girls charged from a wall behind him. Kamijou reacted by twisting his body and lowering his center of gravity to shift all his weight into his punch. It clocked her square in the jaw- this time it felt like he had hit a sack of meat. The girl screamed as the blue sparks shot out from where Kamijou had hit her with his Imagine Breaker.

But in that split second he had let down his guard, the second girl materialized behind him and slammed her body against him with full force.

Kamijou felt like like somebody had thrown a chair at him.

It definitely did not feel like he had just been hit by a soft human body.

Kamijou rolled out of the way and into the wall, the crash had left it's mark on his body.

"Damnit! What's going on?-!"

Something is definitely up with these girls.

Kamijou struggled to figure out what was their trick, but the Kiryu sisters aren't allowing him the opportunity to catch his breath.

It's not that they're particularly fast or strong, but rather it's the narrow hallway that was severely restricting Kamijou's ability to maneuver while the twins on the other hand were able to phase through the walls to ambush his blind spots.

Could it be...? All that time from the hanging doll room to the Twin room, they were actually just luring him and Kurosawa in to a killing zone? Into this narrow hallway where they possessed all the advantage by utilizing the terrain, as well as their numbers and phasing ability.

_**{WHY DO YOU KILL...?}**_

Once again, Kamijou had barely enough time to avoid a surprised attack from one of the twins that came through the wall.

Just when things are about to get worse-

"Kamijou-san! Over here! Quickly!" Yae shouted.

Somehow she had manage to slip past the Kiryu twins and ran for the red sliding door on the far opposite end of the hallway.

_**{WHY DO YOU KILL...?}**_

Touma scrambled to his feet and sprinted towards her, one of the black twins lunged from behind the wall in a sneak attack but he side stepped her perfectly. As fast as he could, the spiky haired boy dived behind the red double sliding door while Kurosawa shut it behind her.

"...That... Was too close...!"

The highschool boy let out a sigh of relief as he turned around-

And nearly had another heart attack.

The two Kiryu girls were there standing at the far corner of the room.

Except...

**...One of them was missing her arms and head**.

The room had an eerie and dark velvet with crimson-gold color setting about it. Flanking Kamijou and Kurosawa on all sides were a small army of Japanese dolls arranged onto what looked like stages on altar tables like spectators. The Stage-tables were covered in a silky red fabric with gold-orange patterns sewed on to it. On closer observation, they looked almost like the same set that he saw back in the Kurosawa Household that represented the Japanese imperial court of the old days. There were a pair of lit candles on each one of the tables.

"...Great, you couldn't picked a more creepier room from the last?"

"It was the only one unlocked..."

Once he had gotten his heart rate under control, Kamijou Touma realized that the twin girls in the room with him were just disturbing life-sized doll replicas of the real twin ghosts.

The resemblance was beyond intimidating; they looked exactly the same as the two girls that had attacked him in the hallway outside the room. The arrangement and length of their hair, the spine-chilling grayish 'skin' on their face, right down to the fine details of the black Kimono and the piercing look in the eyes... Well, at least for the one that has eyes.

There were two buttons carved with family crests on the box-like structure behind the dolls. The boy tried pressing them; even though he could hear the gears aching to move, nothing happened.

"Hmmm... Is the mechanism broken?"

It doesn't look like there's any obvious solution to that for now.

"Kamijou-san, look!"

Kurosawa waved at him- she was holding an aged tome that she had found on one of the doll tables in her hand.

* * *

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

_Akane damaged the mechanism to access the passageway, and she took part of the doll._

_I have to restore the twin doll to normal, and drop the possessed_

_doll of Azami into the **-XXXX-** , to send the spirit back to hell._

_But that path was the only way to the **-XXXX-** ..._

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_**(The next few pages were unreadable)**_

_I saw Azami in front of the Altar, even though she should be in the **-XXXX-** now... She was asking me to kill the 'Azami doll'._

_I have made a grave mistake._

_The twins had at last become one again... I was wrong to make that doll._

_I think Azami was trying to tell me where the head and hands of the doll are_

_hidden. They're hidden in a box, somewhere in the house..._

_**(The next page had been torn away)**_

_**(The last few pages were empty)**_

_**(The last few pages were empty)**_

_**(The last few pages were empty)**_

_**(The last few pages were empty)**_

_**(The last few pages were empty)**_

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

* * *

"I guess that solved a couple of mysteries; the passage way to the underground [**Earth Bridge**] that we're looking for is in this room," Kamijou Touma smiled weakly. "But that [**Remaining**] girl, Kiryu Akane, seem to have dismantled the doll which is the mechanism that opened the way to the it."

"So when Kiryu Akane was talking about her sister returning... It was actually a doll that her Father made? So the story about the Head of the Kiryu Family trying to bring back his lost daughter was partially true!" Yae gasped. "And when her Father wanted to kill the possessed doll, she did what her could to stop him because she thought she was protecting her sister... "

But her companion had other issues in mind.

"Great, living dolls..." Kamijou groaned as dark gloomy lines appear at the corner of his face.

"At least we now know what to do." Yae smiled as she tried to cheer him up. "Find the missing body parts that Kiryu Akane had hidden somewhere in this house and piece it back with this doll's main body."

"Where do we even start to look? This place is enormous! And not to mention a pair of angry little ghost girls are out to stop us..."

"Well, he said that his other Daughter, Kiryu Azami, was trying to tell him where her sister was hiding them... Maybe there's a clue in his Journal?"

As Yae flipped through the empty pages, something caught Touma's eyes.

"Hand on a second... Pass me that..." The boy took the Journal. "...Yeah that's what I thought; the Doll maker saw his deceased daughter in front of an 'Altar', how many rooms do we know that has an altar?"

"You mean... The family altar room? But even so, would Kiryu Azami help us?"

"It's the only play we've got now."

"I guess it couldn't hurt to take a look right...?"

"Nono... I'm sure it could hurt a little- it could also hurt a lot..."

* * *

For whatever reasons, the Kiryu Twins were no longer in the hallway waiting for them. Kamijou didn't intend to stick around to think about it as both him and Kurosawa made a mad dash across to the Twin Room, from there they had a relatively uneventful backtrack to the Family Altar room.

"What now?" Yae asked.

Unlike Kamijou, she didn't need a moment to catch her breath.

_"We... Wait... I guess... For Azami to appear..."_

There was no place for them to sit that isn't covered with a quarter inch layer of dust... Not that either of them felt like sitting.

The room was dry and somewhat stuffy, with little to no ventilation to circulate the air in the room.

And the fact that they're standing in front of an altar of the deceased Kiryu family memebers did nothing to lighten the mood.

Two minutes had passed and still no signs of any girl in a black Kimono.

"Maybe we got it wrong?"

"If we got it wrong, then I have absolutely no idea where to go-"

Kurosawa quickly cut him off.

"Shh! Did you hear something?"

The sound of murmur filled the still air of the room with unnatural tension.

_It's coming from over there... _She mouthed the words while pointing to the wall.

After giving her a slight nod, Kamijou Touma began to tip-toe towards the wall on the left side of the family altar table, taking every precaution not to creak the wooden floors or to bump into any furniture.

The murmurs grew clearer as he approaches the direction of it.

He notices a small gap at the corner of the wall.

Gently, he laid his head against it and peeked using one eye.

_**In the adjacent room, he saw an old man with long unkempt white hair talking to himself- his clothes were stained and dirty. The highschool boy could smell smoke coming from somewhere, implying that something was burning. The narrow gap in the wall was too small for him to make out what sort of room it was... He could only see a large wooden table in front of the old man.**_

_**{That is not a doll...}**_

_**{It is not my child, either...}**_

_**{It is a ghost...}**_

_**{I must kill it...}**_

_**{Even if it look like my child...}**_

_**{I must kill it...}**_

_**[The arms, the head and eyes...}**_

_**{Where did you hide them...?}**_

_**Slowly, the man started walking out of the boy's line of sight.**_

_**A moment later a loud click could be heard- signifying that the door to the room had been unlocked.**_

In an instant, all the cold uneasy feelings he had simply vanished.

"Come on."

Both Kamijou and Kurosawa left the Family Altar room and walked over to the door that they skipped the first time. The highschool boy carefully checked to hear if there's anyone still in there, once he's satisfied that it's safe to enter, he pulled the door open.

"I'm guessing this was the doll maker's workshop..." Kamijou commented.

The dozens of arms, legs and heads of dolls that had been thrown carelessly on the shelf was a big enough hint.

Every corner of the room was filled with unused or broken doll parts lying against the wall or sticking out of boxes and closets.

There are doll fingers, cords, screws and other small parts organized in the small drawer. But there isn't anything that looked especially useful.

At the far end was a fireplace burning away slowly at its supply of wood; Kamijou learned a long time ago not to bother asking questions like _'who light that fire?' _in a place like this.

There's a mortuary tablet, a rosary and a prayer bell on the work bench in the center of the room. There's what looks like a sutra written in the open book, but Kamijou can't read it- this sort of thing leaned toward Index's area of expertise.

But at the very least he could still pick up a journal and read.

* * *

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

_Last night, I heard footsteps. I thought it was Akane, but it was really 'Azami'-walking by herself._

_Akane has spent so much time thinking of her sister,_

_a spirit must have taken over the doll. It is said that when a spirit takes residence in a doll, it can steal the soul of others._

_Akane isn't a person anymore. She's like a doll. Controlled by 'Azami', she keeps repeating "I don't want to kill", over and over._

_She looks so much like my daughter... Azami must be killed, again._

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

* * *

"So that's it..." Kamijou Touma sighed. "I've more or less figured out this story..."

The Kiryu Twins, Akane and Azami performed the Crimson Sacrifice. Akane killed her sister by strangulation and was struck by guilt and grief as she became the [**Remaining**]. To comfort Akane, her father decided to build her a doll of her late sister Azami, for a moment everything was right again. But somewhere down the line her father, the doll maker, must have realized that something was very wrong. _'Something' _had possessed the doll that he created and started controlling his daughter, taking over her body.

Then one night, the spirit of his dead daughter Azami appeared before him, urging him to kill the doll that he had created. Somehow Akane learned of this plan and removed the parts of the doll that was the mechanism that opens the path to the [**Earth Bridge**], to protect her 'sister' from her father- According to the doll maker, the only way to kill the possessed doll was to reenact the ritual with it... And to do that he needed to access the [**Earth Bridge**], which requires the doll mechanism to be whole again.

That means searching for the missing pieces somewhere in this house.

But where to even begin?

The answer had to be somewhere in the Doll Maker's writings, or some clue in this very room...

As Kamijou flips through the journals he and Yae had collect, a sudden stroke of genius hit him like a lightning bolt.

"Kurosawa, help me look for something to write with like a pencil...!"

"Pencil...?" The girl tilt her head at the unfamiliar word.

_Damnit what age is this?-! _Touma lament to himself.

"Erm, never mind... Help me look for charcoal! A burned piece of wood would do as well!"

At the corner of the doll maker's workshop was a pile of burned wood, probably used to destroy the works that went wrong. Yae simply reached in and pulled out a blacken piece of wood... Being a ghost does have its advantages.

"Would this do?"

"We can only hope..." Answered the boy as he took the charcoal wood and started shading the empty pages of the Doll Maker's journal that they had found in the room with the life-sized dolls.

Yae looked intrigued by his actions.

"What are you doing?"

It's an age old trick that even an elementary/primary school kid would know; shade the top of a stack of paper like a notepad and it would reveal the writings on the paper that was previously on top of it- there was a page torn from one of the Doll Maker's book. But since Kamijou doesn't have any pencil, he would have to improvised. Contrary to its name, pencil lead isn't really lead at all- it's actually made of Graphite which is a form of Carbon. But other than Graphite there were some pencils that were made from Charcoal- they're often fuller blacks than graphite pencils but tend to smudge easily and were more abrasive than graphite. And of course charcoal came from the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen, such as the fireplace in the workshop.

As the blackness spilled over the page, a clear outline and image started to appear on it. Slowly they begin to take rectangular boxy shapes and eventually words could be read- they were the names of rooms.

Suddenly, Kamijou noticed 'X' marks on some of these rectangular shapes.

There were three of them.

"There you have it; the map that the Doll Maker had torn off." He showed it to Kurosawa. "My guess is this was how Azami 'showed' him where to look... What are the odds that those three 'X' marks the location of our doll's body parts?"

"That's... Amazing!" Yae looked at him with starry eyes of admiration. "So where is the first 'X'?"

"Well lets see, we're in the workshop so the closest 'X' to us is..."

Touma's eyes widen.

"...Here?"

_**It felt like he was thrown off a bridge and into a freezing lake as his blood ran cold instantly.**_

_**The sound of the fireplace cracking and snapping went eerily quiet...**_

_**...That made the hollow breathing noise behind him much clearer. **_

_**With his heart in his throat, the boy turned around slowly.**_

_**A girl with long black hair in a black kimono.**_

_**Same as the others, but different.**_

_**He could see her face...Her black lips whispered grave messages from beyond...**_

_**But more importantly, he could see the bruises around her pale neck and the slight dislocation of the Hyoid bone. The image of her eyes with blood red veins burn into his mind...**_

_**These are clear signs of ****asphyxiation**._

_...Azami?_

_**{Kill her...}**_

Just like that she disappeared.

Something that looks like a **human's right arm **was in a box on the table in front of where the girl was standing.

_I guess that's one down..._ Touma thought grimly as he picked it up.

* * *

**_To be continued..._**


	9. THE SIXTH HOUR Part 2: The Fallen

_*The Fourth Hour Continues*_

* * *

The Kiryu House, Ground Floor.

"So according to the map drawn on the doll maker's notes, the second box should be somewhere in here, labelled the '_Hallway of Contrast_'..." Said Kamijou.

"I guess we should take a look around..." Kurosawa begin shifting through boxes around the corners.

The 'Hallway of Contrast' was the same place where Kamijou Touma had fought the Kiryu twins just awhile ago. That fight ended in a tactical retreat for the spiky haired boy and his female companion, Kurosawa Yae, so it's should come as no surprise that Kamijou wasn't so keen to stick around in 'ambush alley' any longer than he has to. The problem was, the map they have with them wasn't very specific at all; it only showed a large '**X**' on the room where the box was '_probably_'-supposed to be, but given the aged look of the journal's pages as well as the faded ink in its writing, Kamijou didn't place much faith in it.

Instead, the high school teenager placed his faith in the only thing that had always been absolute in his life... His misfortune.

And that misfortune was practically screaming at him that they were bound to run into something nasty if they stayed here long enough. So while Kurosawa looked for the second missing doll piece, Kamijou kept an eye out for any of those sneaky bastards just in case they got any funny ideas. No small feat considering those ghosts had the advantage of phasing through walls and other solid objects, meaning he had to constantly maintain a very wide field of vision, including the floors and ceilings.

"Anything?" He called out to his companion.

"Not yet, I'm going to check around this corner as well..."

_Damnit..._ The worst thing that the high school boy could imagine happening is to have the two of them come all the way back here for nothing just because some asshole had moved the doll parts years ago, rending the Doll maker's map completely obsolete... But that's a situation with only one outcome and Kamijou wants to keep as many options available as he could.

As he walked along the Hallway of Contrast, the teenage boy noticed a small corner obscured by a thick and heavy cloth curtain. Curious about it, he gingerly pulled back the cloth with his left hand, while keeping his right hand clenched and ready for action like a spring loaded piston. The area behind the curtain was a small extension of the hallway, there was a small rectangular window with wooden blocks positioned at intervals resembling the ones you'll see in the old prison movies. Looking through the window, Kamijou could see the outside of the house and make out some sort of garden-

_*Creek!*_

"What the hell was that?-!" The ends of his hair shot up, seemingly even more spikier than before.

_It sounded like it came from outside-_ Kamijou looked out the window and saw something rustling around in the leaves. The lighting was bad and he couldn't really tell if-

_"BOO!"_

**"SONOVABITC-!"**

Without warning a pale white child with black eyes and mouth jumped up from the other side of the window, scaring the living shit out of the High school boy.

_*Pachii!*_

Instinctively, Kamijou threw a knock-out punch as hard as he could muster with his right fist and smacked the little boy right in his round face. The ghost flew back a good couple of meters from the force of the punch and landed with a thunderous crash onto a pile of firewood.

"THAT WAS NOT FUNNY!" Kamijou yelled in agitation. "And it didn't end well for you-!"

"WAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" The ghost child could be heard crying from the other side.

Kurosawa ran in after hearing all the ruckus.

"Kamijou-san what happened!-?" She asked.

Looking at the poor ghost outside crying his eyes out, Kurosawa Yae came to a logical conclusion.

"How did you just hit a child!-?"

"No I-! Wait, this is my fault?-! How is this my fault?-! He started it! No matter how you look at it, he definitely started it first! Damnit! What's with this conveniently timed misunderstanding!-?"

This one incident struck a critical blow to Kamijou Touma's reputation in the eyes of Kurosawa Yae.

* * *

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_**{It's... dark...}**_

_**{The darkness is...}**_

_**{Coming...}**_

_**{If I am swallowed by the darkness...}**_

_**{If I must suffer that...}**_

_**{I want to fly away...}**_

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

* * *

**THE SIXTH HOUR (Part 2) : The Fallen  
===========================**

Eventually Kamijou Touma cleared up the misunderstanding with his companion Kurosawa Yae, but he still had to apologize to the ghost boy for punching him in the face (_Even though he totally deserved it and anyone that finds themselves in that similar situation would have done the same thing_). But this wasn't a complete waste of a time as the [Peeking Child] had led them to the chest containing the second doll part- the **Left Arm**.

At the exact moment they picked up the part, the ghost of Kiryu Azami appeared once more to 'greet' them.

That was the name of the twin that had given up her life to protect the village and it's inhabitants. They first saw her in the Doll Maker's secret room, and just like now she's standing in front the box.

_**{Kill her...}**_

And just like that she disappeared once again without uttering another word.

Not a much of a conservationist, that one.

But the notebook she dropped on the floor in front of them would probably tell the two of them more than what she would in person. And quite frankly, Kamijou doesn't think he would have much to say to a violent and disturbed spiritual being.

"Judging from the hand writing, it looks like it belongs to the Doll Maker..." The boy commented.

* * *

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

_Akane has become a Remaining. To comfort her, I'll make a doll that looks like Azami. She has been emotionless since the day of the ritual. _

_I'll make the doll look exactly like Azami, so that when they are together, no one will be able to tell them apart._

_Akane never leaves Azami's side for even a second, always whispering things to her. I don't know what she says, but at least she seems to be slowly returning to her former self._

_If we didn't have this ritual, Azami wouldn't have become a butterfly, and Akane wouldn't have lost her spirit._

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

* * *

Afterwards, not a single word was spoken between the two of them as they walked up the stairway to the third and final doll piece located on the Doll Maker's map.

Kamijou sensed something was weighting down his companion's mind. As counter intuitive as it sounds, he had hoped she was just still mad at him for punching that kid- at least he had some experience _(meaning 'a lot')_ dealing with girls being angry at him. But it seemed more likely Yae was troubled by what they had read in the doll maker's notes as she herself understood just what the Doll Maker was going through.

In fact, everything that they've experienced in this house has been one big reminder about what would happen if she had gone through the ritual like what the Kiryu twins had done. Kamijou didn't think it was appropriate to ask what her role would be in the Crimson Sacrifice nor would it actually mattered; because whether she would be killing a loved one or be killed by one instead, it would still be a tragic moment that would haunt the survivor for the rest of her life.

It's a lose-lose situation; no matter what she choose there is no way to get a happy ending out of this.

Finally Kamijou spoke out.

"Kurosawa-san... What are you thinking right now?"

The girl stopped, but didn't turn to face him.

"...Even though we're going up against her, I can't help but admire Kiryu-san. She had the courage to make that sacrifice for the sake of the entire village... And it's not only her, the entire history of this village is full of twins that gave up their life and happiness for to save everybody." Yae looked down in shame. "Compared to me... I was a selfish coward that could only think for herself... I'm such a terrible person aren't I?"

"No you're not." Kamijou said firmly and without any shred of hesitation. "A selfish person wouldn't be concerned for Munakata's safety and you wouldn't have tried to save the folklorist from being turned into a Kusabi. You went all out the way to help them even though you didn't have to, and now you're helping me save someone very important to me- does that sound like something a selfish and terrible person would do?"

Kurosawa Yae's eyes widen at the certainty behind his words.

"But I still ran away from my duties..." The girl with short black hair whispered. "I placed my happiness as well as my sister's above the lives of everyone else.

Kamijou sighed.

"Listen, I'm only an amateur that got caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time (again) so I can't tell you whether you've made the right or wrong decision... But that simple wish? That desire to save your sister and all those innocent lives that got dragged into this terrible fate? I'm absolutely certain that can never be wrong."

"How can you be so sure...?"

"Because there are people who also believed in your wish- they believe in it that desire enough to find the will to save you and your sister from this nightmare- that's why Itsuki wanted to help you despite being locked up in a cell, that's why Munakata was willing risk his own safety to help you. And that's all the reason I need to be sure."

"...So you have been reading our diary..." Yae looked away as she tried to hide her beet red face.

"Heh, sorry about that- when we get out of this mess alive I'll bow my head and beg forgiven a thousand times if it would appease you..." Kamijou scratched his head.

"No... That won't be necessary... I think you've done more than enough already...Thank you."

* * *

In no time at all they had searched all the rooms in the second floor, which was noticeably less than those of the ground floor, and had found nothing of interest... Except for a single door that was locked.

Kurosawa Yae provided an explanation.

"It's possible that might be the door that leads to the [Heaven Bridge]."

The Kiryu house and the Tachibana house were linked by a connecting corridor on their second floor; it's because of this bridge that they're sometimes referred to as the "_Twin Houses_". The Twin Shrine Maidens would stay there before the ceremony where they were cleansed as well. During the cleansing they were not allow to go outside, but they may pass freely between the houses. The path that Kamijou Touma and Kurosawa Yae were trying to get to is the underground passage known as the [Earth Bride], but there is also a walkway that connects the two houses above ground was known as the [Heaven Bridge].

"The other bridge that leads to Tachibana house?" Kamijou's eyes widen. "Then shouldn't we try to get it to open?"

"Do you know how to get it open?" She asked.

"...Point taken."

Indeed, rather than waste time figuring that out, they should stick to their current plan of getting through by the [Earth Bridge]. It would probably be much faster than searching the entire house for a key that might not exist. Breaking it down wasn't an option either- it looks well-reinforced, plus it's not like he had any tools on him that he could use for that job.

They reached another flight of stairs, this time leading back down. The handrail have been completely destroyed by the passing of time so Kamijou took extra precaution to avoid open side and stuck close to the side facing the wall.

When they reached the bottom, Kurosawa suddenly stopped dead in her tracks.

"Huh? Did you say something?" She asked the boy.

"No, why? What is it?"

For a few seconds she didn't reply.

"Never mind, I thought I heard something..."

Kamijou felt a chill running up his spine.

"That's never a good sign. Come on lets find that-"

_*Yeeekk*_

The sound of the wooden floorboard creaked above him.

"KAMIJOU-SAN LOOK OUT!"

"Huh-?" The high school boy turned around instinctively when he heard his nam-

_**{I SEE YOU!}**_

In that fraction of a second, his eyes made contact with the cold, dead eyes of a woman falling head first just centimeters in front of his face. Before his brain could register anything, he felt his body being tackled aside violently by Yae. Instinctively, he braced himself for the eventual shooting pain as the both of them hit the wooden floor with one side taking the full force of the impact. Kamijou let out a painful grunt as he was the one on the bottom of the tackle hence absorbing the most damage from the fall.

But there was no time to lick his wounds because at the same time that Kamijou and Kurosaka hit the deck, another sickening crunch was heard at the exact same spot where the spiky haired boy had been standing moments earlier.

**In the place where he was standing just a second ago was the twisted body of a woman with grave colored skin and long jet black hair wearing a Kimono with a loose obi and the middle portion of her body down to her bare navel could be seen.** **She was very thin. In fact, she was so thin that you would be worried for her health more than aroused if she were wearing a swimsuit.  
**

**And there was no exaggeration- her body was literally twisted into awkward, unnatural postures as all four of her limps were hanging in obscene and grotesque arrangement, with her neck snapped into an impossibly perfect 90 degree angle. By all sanely accounts, she should have been dead; this unholy perversion of the body was so overwhelming that it could no longer even be considered a human being.**

**Then suddenly, it twitched.**

**Slowly, that small _twitch_ turned into a _wriggle_ as it tried to flop itself around, inch by inch.**

**And then, it started moaning and grunting. With a crushed windpipe, it's unfathomable how any sound could be made.**

**Slowly, this thing- this abomination, this monstrosity, turned itself towards Kamijou.**

******Her slightly sunken eyes gave her this 'fish out of water' look.**

******She turned in their direction and smiled thinly.**

**It was then that Kamijou realized he had stopped breathing this entire time.**

**In an instant, the moaning and wriggling stopped.**

**And a new sound could be heard.**

**It started out soft and barely audible, but it grew louder and louder and louder until it shook the very core that was holding the boy firmly together in this madhouse.**

**Because this broken lump of a human body, started giggling. **

_**{Hehehehehhheheh!-!-!-!}**_

**It wasn't an innocent laughter.**

**It wasn't an evil witch's crackle.**

**It wasn't even a demented giggle.**

**The woman's laughter had a distortion in her voice that wasn't all that unlike a trumpet or a flute with some obstruction in its pipes, or if the instrument itself had been so neglected that it's shape had been warped. Similar, with her neck snapped from the fall, it would be weird if that didn't have any side effect on her windpipes and vocal cord.**

**At the same time, her body was writhing and her arms were flaying wildly as she approached the two of them.**

**It was a disgusting and horrid sight, but Kamijou and Kurosawa were too overwhelmed by the shock that they froze in place up till now.**

"RUN!" The spike haired boy yelled.

It was as if a switch had been flicked and they both snapped out of it; the [Fallen Woman] charged towards them at incredible speeds that they were caught completely off-guard.

Kamijou quickly rolled to one direction while Kurosawa rolled in the opposite side. The [Fallen Woman] crashed violently into the wall behind them but quickly bounced back and started chasing after Kamijou. She was on her back facing upwards, rather than flipping herself over and crawl or run, she started slithering like a snake.

"Fuck!"

The boy barely got out of the way before the woman lunged at him while trying to grab a hold of his ankle. Her positioning makes it hard for Kamijou to counter attack because his one 'weapon' requires him to go all the way up close to her, exposing too much of his body for her to grab. But at the same time lying on the ground doesn't leave her with much options to attack with-

Or at least that's what he thought.

_**{Hehehhhahahaha**__** !-!-!-!}**_

The woman started sinking into the ground right before his eyes.

"What the hell?-!"

Kamijou was convinced that she would pop out from under him so he kept his eyes locked on his feet anticipating the attack to come soon.

"LOOK OUT! ABOVE YOU!"

Kurosawa Yae yelled from across the room.

_**{Arrhhhhhhhhhhaaaahhhh!-!-!}**_

A shriek came from above.

Kamijou looked up.

"WHAT THE HELL? THAT CRAZY BITCH-!"

He just narrowly jumped out of the way as the ghost came crashing down on the exact same spot he was standing a split second ago.

The sound of her bones crunching from the impact a second time was borderline nauseating, he put it all at the back of his mind.

Unlike the first time, the [Fallen Woman] wasted no time writhing towards her intended target as soon as she 'landed'.

But this time it wasn't Kamijou she had set her sights on.

"KUROSAWA!"

"AHH!"

Yae was already running towards him but was caught off-guard by the [fallen woman] who had grabbed her foot, causing her to trip and fell.

Her eyes widen as the woman pulled her face close and started wrapping herself around the girl's body... At that close distance she could hear her hoarse voice whispering into her ear...

_**{It's... dark...!}**_

_**{The darkness is... Coming...!}**_

"W-What...?"

That was the climax of the fear. Whether she's to run away or close her eyes, these little actions were already sealed. Like a butterfly caught in the web of a spider, there was nothing Kurosawa Yae could do.

_**{If I am swallowed by the darkness...}**_

_**{If I must suffer that...}**_

The woman opened her dislocated jaw with the face of a predator going in for the final kill.

_**{I want to fly away...!}**_

"Then do it on your own free time alone!"

Like a hammer, Kamijou swung his fist with all of his strength and struck the creature square in her face, knocking her off his companion.

_*pacchi!*_

He could feeling the soft structure of a human nose being crushed by the force of his attack.

His stomach tighten like a ball just thinking about it.

_**{Hahehahehhhhh!}**_

The [Fallen Woman] started writhing around in agony but it didn't stop her from making that giggle; in some dark and twisted part of his subconscious, Kamijou Touma related the scene with that of a cockroach when it had its head cut off, but it was still alive and scuttling around.

The spiky haired boy couldn't allow it to escape just to ambush them again.

He crouched down over her body, placing himself in a dominion position.

And with that, the sound of violence continued to echo throughout the room as he rained down his punches repeatedly with the intention to stomp out any movement from the woman.

Eventually she stopped giggling.

Eventually she stopped struggling.

Her body slowly shattered into little dots of blue light, similar all the other ghosts he had defeated before.

The thick and heavy supernatural atmosphere that the violent spirit had brought with her was gone just like that- All that's left was the adrenaline still coursing through in his system.

Forcing himself not to think about it, the boy quickly redirect his focus on the female companion with him and rushed to check on her. The girl looked shaken up; it was hard to tell if it was because of the [Fallen Woman] or because she had witness what kamijou had done to it.

"Kurosawa! Are you alright?-!"

The girl with short black hair didn't answer.

Instead she pointed at something behind him with eyes as wide as dinner plates.

Kamijou quickly spun his body around expecting to see the [Fallen Woman] again, but standing in front of them was a small girl only half his size, dressed in midnight black kimono and had waist length dark hair covering her faces. In her arms was a box not unlike the ones that contained the doll parts that Kamijou and Kurosawa had been looking for.

"Kiryu... Azami..." He whispered.

That was the name of the twin that had given up her life to protect the village and it's inhabitants.

The pale skin girl walked slowly towards them, kneels down and opened the box for them to see.

There was no diary inside.

There was no key as well.

There was no supernatural gemstone either.

Instead, it was a wooden doll's head with long black hair.

It's face looked eerily familiar.

The ghost of Kiryu Azami opened her mouth and spoke to them.

_**{YoU Don'T neeD a suBStitutE foR Me.}**_

_**{I aM PArt of akANe nOW.}**_

_**{I AM onE wItH AkanE..}**_

_**{K I L L . I T .}**_

_**{KiLL tHAT sTupID dOll! }**_

* * *

_********__To be continued..._


	10. THE SIXTH HOUR Part 3: Behind Those Eyes

_*The Sixth Hour reaches it's conclusion!*_

* * *

Kiryu House.

The Twin Dolls Room.

Kamijou Touma and Kurosawa Yae stood before the life-sized doll of the two Kiryu sisters; both of them identical copies of the real person down to smallest of details, except one of them was missing it's head and a pair of arms. To gain access to the secret underground passage hidden by the two dolls, Kamijou and Kurosawa searched the entire house for those missing parts in order reassemble the broken doll to unlock the seal.

They weren't doing all that for the fun of it; a companion of the spiky haired boy had been taken by mysterious dark forces into that very same underground tunnel, and he would very much like to get her back sooner rather than later.

"You ready?"

The girl nodded and slowly walked up to the broken doll.

Kamijou steel himself to expect the unexpected.

She first attached the missing left arm- it locked perfectly in place.

Then the right arm was placed without incident as well.

Giving the boy one final glance, Kurosawa Yae placed the head of the doll back to it's body...

* * *

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_**The eternity that I dreamed while confined in my room...**_

_**Where will it take shape and blossom?**_

_**The morning will eventually come and bring the darkness back home...**_

_**... And with it, takes my sight away from me.**_

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

* * *

**THE SIXTH HOUR (Part 3) : Behind Those Eyes  
=================================**

...And nothing happened.

They waited for a full minute.

Still nothing.

"Is it... Broken?" Kamijou asked slowly.

"I'm not sure... Maybe we need to place it in a certain order?" Kurosawa suggested.

They removed all the parts and reattached them again- this time with the head first, followed by the left arm, and finally the right arm.

Zilch.

"Now what?" Kurosawa looked to him.

Kamijou gave it some serious thought before answering-

"Maybe we need to kick it a little?"

"...Somehow I don't think so." Kurosawa smiled nervously.

"Well, I'm stumped." Kamijou threw his hands up in defeat.

"Why don't we head back to the doll maker's secret room? Maybe there's something there that we overlooked the first time that could tell us what to do?"

"Makes sense, it's better than doing nothing here-"

**The air became heavy with animosity...**

**The sound of two distinct childish laughter echoed from somewhere in the house and reverberated sinisterly throughout the room...**

The spiky haired boy gulped.

"We should probably go now..!"

"Yes, I agree completely...!"

* * *

In the doll maker's secret workshop, Kamijou and Kurosawa started digging through everywhere for some clues as to what they had missed the first time around.

At that time the two of them only found a single journal entry by the doll maker that led them on the hunt for the missing doll parts all over the Kiryu house. The sight of hundreds of unfinished doll limps and figures that littered the room gave him an uneasy feeling; he couldn't wait to get out of the room.

"There's nothing on the desk." He said.

"The drawers only contain doll pieces and craft tools." Kurosawa Yae shook her head. "We've looked everywhere already- what could we have missed?"

Considering the possibility that the clue might be on one of the numerous doll pieces, they started to check everything that could conceivably hide a message- no matter how implausible.

It was at this moment, Kamijou decided to ask the one thing that was on his mind since they first entered this house.

"Kurosawa... If you don't mind me asking... What happened to both you and your sister?"

Her shoulders twitched.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"We wanted to escape the village together. Itsuki- a friend of ours, said he would help us by distracting the villages while we escaped... We were supposed to met a mutual friend Munakata-kun who would take us away..."

"Then what happened?"

"My sister... Sae... She... Didn't show up..." The short-black haired girl looked away. "I didn't think that they would perform the ritual with just one maiden, but... I was wrong..."

"I see..." Kamijou frowned.

Something didn't add up, Kurosawa Yae was hiding something. In the ceremonial master's notes, BOTH Yae and Sae escaped, but only Sae was captured... So why would she lie about it? Or did she not know that Sae had been captured?

"Kurosawa," the spiky haired boy looked straight at her. "Why did you come back?"

"..."

"Kurosawa-san?"

"I found it."

"What?"

The girl pointed to an unused fireplace in the corner of the room.

There they were among the black ashes.

Two scraps of paper survived the fire.

* * *

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

**-Design Plans-**

_Open the doll's eyes and give the Shrine Maiden a soul._

_When the two Shrine Maidens face each other, the bridge through the underground opens up._

_I've used one of those wind-up clocks imported from the west for the twin shrine maiden mechanism._

_Unfortunately the shipment for that month was mixed up and I was only left with hazel coloured eyes for all the dolls._

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

**-Design Notes-**

_The doll's soul is needed to make the mechanism work._

_I could create the other parts again, but I could never duplicate that soul._

_I can't let that hellish creature get its hands on the soul._

_thE sOul Is thE kEy!_

_I'll hAvE tO kEEp It sAfE wIth mE!_

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

* * *

"**THE EYES!**" They both shouted in revelation.

Looking back, Kamijou did notice the doll's head were missing it's eyes but he paid no attention to it- After all, this place was so filled with weird and creepy stuff that missing eyeballs just don't stand out as much as it should.

Confident that this was the final piece they were looking for, Kurosawa and Kamijou quickly left the secret work shop to look for the doll maker.

"I guess it's obvious from that last two lines that we would find the Doll's eyes on the Dollmaker himself... Now all we just have to find him-"

_**{Why must only twins face this...?}**_

The hollow voice came from the closed door on their right.

They looked at each other.

"That was suspiciously convenient..." the boy groaned. "But come to think of it, a lot of things seem to be happening that way lately..."

"After you?"

"...Figures."

Kamijou approached the door with the enthusiasm of a death-row convict, he resisted the comical urge to knock on the door to ask for permission to enter and quietly open it- as if he thought he could stealth a ghost.

_What the hell am I doing...?_ He mentally facepalmed himself. _I've been here for too long..._

There were several small Japanese dolls hanging from the ceiling with ropes tied around their necks; a scene that could have come straight out from a gallows. This was the very first room that Kamijou and Kurosawa had saw when they entered the Kiryu house.

"What are the odds he'll just hand those eyes over?" Kamijou joked.

**{_thE sOul Is thE kEy! I'll hAvE tO kEEp It sAfE wIth mE!}_**

The erratic voice of the doll maker answered him.

"...Not very likely." Kurosawa earnestly replied the spiky haired boy.

"_Fukou da..."_

The ghostly figure of an old and feeble looking man emerged from behind the wall across the room.

"Here we go again!" Kamijou grit his teeth.

Without hesitation, he ran towards the doll maker and put all of his strength into his fist with the intention of defeating the ghost before it could pull any stunt on him.

_**{I hAvE lOst bOth my dAUghtErs...}**_

One of the dolls sitting on top of the shelf flew through the air and into the path of Kamijou's punch, effectively stopping his right hand from reaching the doll maker.

_*pachii!*_

The doll fell lifelessly onto the ground.

"What the hell...?-!"

He turned his head to look around the room; the dolls that littered the floor rose up around him like soldiers obeying their command.

"...That's new." the boy gulped.

_**{why mUst Only twIns sUffEr thIs...?}**_

Kamijou Touma counted at least six dolls, not including the one he had dispelled earlier. Like wolves circling around their potential meal, the dolls spread out to try and box them into a corner.

Kurosawa immediately ducked as one of them came streaking towards her- they weren't particularly fast, but at the same time it's not like they were very slow either. Two of them started harassing her while the remaining four were focused on him- It seems they were well aware who was the bigger threat to their master. The boy punched out one of them, but had to rolled away to avoid the other three.

In the midst of all the chaos, the doll maker had slipped away into the walls again.

"Damnit we're at the disadvantage fighting in here!"

Kamijou made a dash for the sliding door only to find out that it was held back by some mysterious force.

"Shit-!"

As he turned around, one of the dolls slammed into his abdomen and knocked him onto his knees. The impact felt similar to getting hit by a soccer ball kicked by a middle school student; it wasn't lethal but it still hurt like hell. On the plus side he was able to touch the doll with his right hand to dispel the doll maker's magic.

_It's going to turn ugly if he could take control over these dolls again... I got to end this fast...!_

_**{why mUst Only twIns sUffEr thIs...?}**_

"THERE!"

The doll maker reappeared from the wall on the far side of the room where Kamijou was.

All around him, the fallen dolls began to rise again.

The boy ran to close the 5 meters distance between them; all seven dolls started throwing themselves in front of his path. One by one he swiped them with his Imagine Breaker and they fell lifelessly to the ground again.

_THIS IS IT...!_

Just as his was pulling back his fist, one of the doll slams itself into his left ankle, causing him to trip over as he loses balance.

"FUU-!"

_**{If Only wE dIdn't hAvE thIs rItUAl...!}**_

The doll maker started fading into the wall again; he was going to hide again while his toy soldiers kept the boy with the Imagine Breaker occupied long enough for him to recharge his strength and the circle would repeat itself again.

Or so he thought.

Kurosawa Yae grabbed a hold of the doll maker's hand and pulled him away from the wall.

"It's over already Kiryu-san."

The doll maker had not anticipated her to do this, but this moment of surprise made him hesitate long enough for Kamijou Touma to get back on his feet.

_*pachii!*_

The fist that possesses the power to destroy all illusions was slammed into the side of the old man's face, knocking him across the room.

A pair of _Hazel Brown Glass Eyes_ fell out of his hand and bounced off the ground.

As he laid there on the cold wooden floor, the feeble old man spoke with the last of his strength.

_**{First I have to kill the doll by hanging it...}**_

His voice became soft again.

_**{Then I must throw it into the **__wgbud_ABYSS_nsrio__** …}**_

The doll maker's words blurred.

Kamijou frowned, but neither Kurosawa nor the doll maker himself showed any signs to have noticed it.

_**{It knows this and is controlling Akane, trying to kill me. I have to throw it in, even if seeing the **__wgbud_ABYSS_nsrio__** blinds me...}**_

Slowly, his body starts to become transparent until his entire existence seem to fade away.

_**{My daughter must die again... And Akane must relive the pain of losing her sister. If we didn't have this ritual, no one would have to feel that kind of pain...}**_

And just like that, he was gone.

* * *

The Twin Dolls Room (again).

Kamijou Touma and Kurosawa Yae stood before the life-sized doll of the two Kiryu sisters (again); both of them identical copies of the real person down to smallest of details, except one of them was missing a pair of eyes. To gain access to the secret underground passage sealed away by the two dolls, Kamijou and Kurosawa searched the entire house for the missing eyes in order reassemble the doll.

They weren't doing all that just for the fun of it; a companion of the spiky haired boy had been taken by mysterious dark forces into that very same underground tunnel, and he would very much like to get her back sooner rather than later- All this detouring was starting to get on his nerves.

"You ready?"

The girl nodded and slowly walked up to the broken doll (again).

Kamijou steel himself to expect the unexpected (again).

The short hair girl placed both glass eyes into the doll's socket.

The boy heard a sound coming from the box behind the doll.

*Click!*

A mechanism has been unlocked.

"KUROSAWA!"

"H-Huh ?-!"

Kamijou grabbed the girl from behind with his left hand and yanked her away from Kiryu Akane's outreach grasp.

Both Kiryu ghosts emerged from behind the life sized dolls.

_**{WHY DO YOU KILL...?}**_

They looked exactly the same as each other; both wearing black kimonos with long black hair covering their paled skinned faces- it was virtually impossible to tell them apart.

Kiryu Akane.

The girl who was forced to kill her own sister to save her village; and had to live with that burden on her conscience for the rest of her life.

The Remaining.

"_Round Two..._" He clenched his fist hard till the knuckles turn white. "It looks like we're not going to be able to leave this place without dealing with them first...!"

_**{I WON'T LET YOU KILL HER...}**_

A wave of malice erupted from those words; they echoed unnaturally throughout the room making it difficult to know which one of the two was speaking.

_**{I WON'T LET YOU KILL HER AGAIN!}**_

Both of them vanished and reappeared behind him.

The boy spun around instinctively to avoid getting grabbed by them.

Kamijou had experienced fighting the twins before under less favorable conditions; the narrow Hallway of Contrast gave the girls all the advantage of being able to phase in and out of the walls, plus at that time he did not know that one of them was actually a possessed _doll_- this would explain the inconsistency he felt when punching the two of them; he thought it was strange how one of them felt rigid and hard like she was encased in a shell.

Despite the change in environment, their tactics still remained the same- they'll both disappear and reappear on opposite sides to flank him. However this method was a lot more effectively in a more restrictive location; the big and spacious area of the Twin Dolls Room provided Kamijou and Kurosawa enough room to outmaneuver the Kiryu Twins' pincer attack before they close in.

_But avoiding their attacks alone isn't going to win this fight...!_ Kamijou grit his teeth. _I'm still going to need to go on the offensive soon...!_

While the spiky haired boy had figured out how to evade their trap, he still hesitated before attempting any real counterattack, giving the ghostly Twins enough time to vanish, regroup, and make another attempt at their lives. Fortunately the girls seem to only have that one trick up their sleeves so it made them very predictable... Unfortunately if this turns into a battle of attrition, Kamijou would definitely lose against an enemy that doesn't need to rest.

But still he did not make any attempt to fight back yet.

The reason for this is simply- Kamijou was trying to figure out which of them was Kiryu Akane.

He was convinced that the doll only served as a fake and distraction; the boy had witness on more than one occasion it had stepped in to protect the other girl and never the other way around, which tells him that the one he needs focus on defeating was Akane. It's possible, even though he doesn't know the details, that the possessed doll was using Akane as a form of portable car battery. Index had told him on more than one occasion how Magicians use life force to power their spells, in that case it's not out of the question that a ghost could use another person's 'life force' to prolong its existence.

Regardless of whether this theory turned out to be true, he hoped to take out the 'weaker' one before focusing on the possessed doll. Even better if the doll would simply vanish without Akane there to supply it with magic.

The problem then, was how to differentiate one from the other? Whether it's physical statute and body language, both girls look and feel exactly the same as the other.

The doll maker truly was a master at his craft.

_But even so..._Kamijou narrowed his eyes.

Nothing is perfect.

No two individuals are exactly alike in every way; not even twins or biological clones are 100% the same because people go through life differently- they get different scratches, different bruises, different experiences.

_There has to be something I'm missing...!_ Touma thought to himself in frustration. _Think damnit! There has to be some way to tell them apart...!_

* * *

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_I think Azami was trying to tell me where the head and hands of the doll are hidden._

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_It is said that when a spirit takes residence in a doll, it can steal the soul of others..._

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_I'll make the doll look exactly like Azami, so that when they are together, no one will be able to tell them apart..._

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

_Unfortunately the shipment for that month was mixed up and I was only left with **hazel coloured eyes for all the dolls...**_

* * *

"THATS IT!" Kamijou exclaimed. "Kurosawa! The doll has brown eyes! Look for the one with brown eyes!"

"Even if you say that-!"

Both girls have long hair bangs that cover their faces making it impossible to tell their eye colour from afar.

_In that case..._

Kamijou Touma dashed forward without a trace of hesitation.

_...I'll just have to get in close!_

He tackled one of the girls to the ground. Her body was cold to touch, so cold it was borderline painful- much like grabbing a fistful of dry ice with your bare hands. Kamijou could feel the strength slowly draining from his body, but he held on long enough to see her eyes.

They were crimson red.

"KUROSAWA! THE OTHER ONE IS THE DOLL!"

The boy could hear some kind of struggle going on behind him and something heavy collapsed onto the floor like a sack of rice.

Kamijou couldn't see what was happening between Kurosawa Yae and the possessed doll behind him, but whatever it was made Kiryu Akane shierked in desperation as she tried to claw her way towards them... This was the first time he had seen one of these violent spirits reacted with a very human-like emotion.

At the very least this should mean that Yae had gain some kind of upper hand right?

_**{I WON'T LET YOU KILL HER AGAIN!}**_

"What ?-!"

Drawing her strength from some unholy source, Akane flung Kamijou across the room and slammed his body against the wall. The pain threatened to overwhelm his senses as he struggled back up to his feet.

"Kuro…Sawa…!" The boy coughed out the words as he tried to warn her.

That was when he saw what had set off the Kiryu girl; Kurosawa Yae had overpowered the possessed doll and wrapped both her tiny hands around its fragile-looking neck and was strangling it. The possessed doll was struggling desperately to break free from her grasp.

Initially it would seem odd trying to choke a doll.

But Kamijou knew the truth.

This was the same method that Akane had used to kill her sister, Azami.

In fact, it was the method that all the twins that had taken part in the Crimson Sacrifice used to kill each other.

Just before he vanished, the doll maker said that he would kill the doll by hanging it… Kurosawa Yae heard it as well and must have realized the doll's weakness from those words.

_**{I WON'T LET YOU KILL HER AGAIN!}**_

Kiryu Akane approached from behind looking like she's going to tear Yae into pieces.

But something had happened; something the boy didn't expect.

Akane stopped dead in her tracks.

A pale, white hand had grabbed hold of her wrist; it belonged to a young girl with long black hair who was wearing a similar midnight coloured Kimono as Akane and the possessed doll.

She looked like a perfect copy of Akane, except for the discoloration around her neck.

_**{...Onee-chan?}**_

Kiryu Azami.

The girl who gave her life to protect this village... Protect her sister...

_**{...Kill her.}**_

Azami looked directly into his eyes.

With a heavy heart and a clenched fist, Kamijou walked up to them.

_**{I don't want to kill anymore…}**_

_**{I don't want to kill...}**_

_**{I don't want to kill anyone... So...}**_

_**{Let's stay together, OK...?}**_

_**{Onee-chan…! I'm… Sorry…!}**_

_**{I don't want to kill...}**_

_**{I don't want to kill anyone...}**_

Kamijou Touma could hear Akane sobbing and pleading forgiveness from Azami; all form of malice and evil was replaced by the sight of a terrified little girl.

He let go of his fist.

"You don't have to kill anymore."

_**{I don't... Have to kill...?}**_

"This messed up illusion... This endless nightmare of yours... I'll put an end to it and destroy them here."

Touma place his right hand on top of her head and smiled.

_**{I don't... Have to kill... Anymore...?}**_

Almost immediately, the heavy sinister atmosphere was gone as Akane slowly faded away into a shower of blue sparks with a peaceful look on her face. The possessed doll, after losing its source of power, had begun to disappear as well.

In that briefest of moments, Kamijou Touma could have sworn Azami smiled at him right before she vanished along with her sister.

The fight with the Kiryu Twins was over.

* * *

A single item, no bigger than a cellphone, was all that remains on the spot where the Kiryu girls had stood.

"What is this?"

The Japanese word [**Kiryu**] had been carved into the side.

_It looks like some kind of family crest... but what am I suppose to do with it? _Kamijou pondered.

At the moment, he decides to hold on to it first just in case they'll need it later.

The sound of mechanism being unlocked could be heard from the floorboard behind the two dolls; the path to the [**Earth Bridge**] was finally revealed to them.

"Kurosawa...?"

Kurosawa Yae looked calmed and composed enough, considering she was just strangling someone to death moments earlier.

But there was a distant look in her eyes that it made Kamijou uneasy just by being near her.

She didn't even seem to notice his presence.

_I don't want to think too much about it…_ Kamijou Touma frowned. _But Kurosawa Yae… The reason why she came back… _

_Could it be…? _

* * *

_***End of the Sixth Hour***_


End file.
